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“Although other places close to the bone are painful, the top of the finger by the knuckles can actually handle a decent amount of pain,” says tattooist Noah Lee.
“The discomfort is mainly due to your insides being pressed upon,” explains tattoo artist Georgia Grey
Amanda Boone, a Nashville-based tattoo artist who appears Ink Master notes the skin on our thighs and shins may be more desensitized, due to a lifetime of legs rubbing against clothing.
“With thin skin and bone sitting right underneath, the rib cage can be uncomfortable location to get tattooed,” Grey says.
Both the forearm and upper, outer arm offer relative smooth sailing in the pain department, according to our pros.
Sternums are a bony area with little-to-no fat — and it makes for a painful tattoo. Plus, the whole chest vibrates in session, something that can amplify sensation. The higher on the chest, though, the less painful it will be.
Two of our three tattoo artists named this spot as a major lip biter, thanks to very thin skin that sits atop the bone.
“Around the nails is an extremely sensitive area with a ton of nerves underneath,” Lee says.
The throat seems like it would really hurt, but Lee tells us otherwise, citing the throat as one of the least painful areas on his list to get inked.
“There are a number of nerve endings near the armpit, which explains why people are so ticklish there — and why the skin in that area extremely sensitive,” says Lee.
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