Tattoos are a beautiful method of self-expression. They are a way of showcasing your values and what you love on your skin. The tattoos you get can be very detailed and tell stories about you at first glance, or they may be incredibly private and close to you. Tattoos mean as many things to as many people who have them. But there is a large number of people who do wish to get tattoos but hesitate due to the pain they consider part and parcel of getting a tattoo. But with the advent of tattoo numbing creams, this is no longer a concern.
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How painful is a tattoo?
This is an extremely subjective question. The truth is that all tattoos hurt. No matter where your pain threshold is, if you go in unprepared, you are likely to experience some pain. However, the level of pain depends on a variety of factors, including where the tattoo is meant to go and the size of the tattoo.
An easy way to determine which places would be more painful than others is to pinch yourself. The places that hurt the most tend to hurt more when getting tattooed as well. The least painful parts include the forearms, the shoulders, the hands, the stomach, certain areas of the back, the back of your arm, the outer thigh and the outer arm.
The most painful places to get tattoos are the bony parts of the body which have little to no fat to act as a barrier and prevent pain. This includes the feet, the spine, the ribs, the stomach, the chest, the fingers, the knees, the shin, the elbows, the groin, the neck, any part of the skull, and the bony parts of the ankle.
But should your aversion to pain stop you from getting tattooed in the above space? It should not. Tattooing is an art that everyone deserves to enjoy exactly how they wish to. This has led to the development of tattoo numbing cream , which allow you to get tattoos wherever you wish and of whatever size you wish.
What are tattoo numbing creams?
Tattoo numbing creams are, as suggested by the name, numbing agents meant to be applied to make a tattooing session as painless as possible. They contain active numbing agents and are meant to be applied to the area of skin that is to be tattooed. They then numb that specific area so that your tattoo session can be as comfortable and painless as possible.
Tattoo numbing creams are revolutionizing the tattoo industry. The lack of pain that is now associated with tattoos is drawing in a lot more people to get tattooed in increasingly elaborate places.
The strength of the cream determines how long it will be effective, but generally, the numbing agent should last for at least 3 to 5 hours. This is long enough to last for even the longest tattoo sessions, but you should not worry about reapplying it throughout multiple sessions to relieve yourself of pain.
The numbing agents are used by both novices of the tattoo world and those who are quite experienced in getting tattoos as well. It enables you to get tattoos with ease and is quite encouraging.
How do tattoo numbing creams work?
Tattoo numbing creams work by numbing nerves and blocking them to reduce the recognition of pain by them and the transfer of the knowledge of this pain to the brain. Hence, they reduce your awareness of the pain.
Why are tattoo numbing creams used?
Tattoo numbing creams are most often used, of course, for the application of tattoos. But they may also be used for other purposes to numb the skin whenever required. Numbing creams for skin of this kind may also be used in minor surgeries, mammograms and even, in some cases when giving injections to children.
Nowadays, their use is also growing in cosmetic procedures such as filler injections, microdermabrasions, waxing, piercings etc. They may also be used in the extremely painful process of laser tattoo removal.
What are the ingredients in a tattoo numbing cream?
The numbing effect in these creams comes from the local anesthetics they contain such as lidocaine. It is generally the most active ingredient in most tattoo numbing creams. It desensitizes your nerves and prevents you from feeling any pain. Hence, it is called a nerve deadener.
They also include nerve blockers such as benzocaine. They do not stop your nerves from interpreting the pain but only from signalling your brain about the same. The combination of a nerve deadener and a nerve blocker lowers your perception of pain to the extent that it will only register as the slightest of discomforts and may not even register at all.
Some tattoo numbing creams may even include a vasoconstrictor. A vasoconstrictor, as the name suggests, makes the blood vessels constrict when applied. This allows the effect of other ingredients especially the nerve blockers and nerve deadeners to last even longer. In this way, one could argue, that the vasoconstrictor is the most important part of the tattoo numbing cream.
Should you get a tattoo numbing cream?
The answer is that it depends. Too many people consider the pain a vital part of getting tattooed. A sort of cleansing by fire. If you are not willing to endure the pain that comes with getting tattooed, maybe you are not meant to get that tattoo or you are not ready to make that commitment.
However, we disagree. We think the art of tattooing is a joyous process and should be shared with everyone. The love and care that you put into designing and getting your tattoo are what make it meaningful, not the pain. The pain may mean something to some people and nothing at all to others.
It is personal preference and nothing more. If getting a tattoo numbing cream will make your tattooing experience more enjoyable then you should get a tattoo numbing cream!