A TATTOO artist has shared eight ways you can guarantee your next ink session is less painful.
Mike, who is the founder of EvolveINK, shared a clip to explain the steps to take before and during your appointment.
“The first way you can make getting a tattoo hurt less is to simply just go in sober,” he shared.
The tattoo artist explained that he’s received countless comments from people who believe drinking alcohol before the appointment will make it hurt less.
But, he explained, the opposite is actually true. Alcohol decreases your normal blood clotting ability, which means you may experience increased bleeding during a tattoo session.
Not only would this make it hurt more, but it might also be more difficult for the artist to do the work.
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Mike argued that the whole session will take a lot longer as a result of “drunken movements” as well.
“And also side note, since we just talked about alcohol thinning out your blood, it’s also really smart for you to avoid a lot of caffeine consumption,” he went on. “Or taking any kind of painkillers that thin out your blood.
“Because again doing those will actually be counterproductive and make the tattoo hurt a lot more so avoid these before your session.”
His second tip was to drink a lot of water before coming in for the appointment.
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“Starting the night before, drink as much water as you possibly can to make sure your skin is nice and hydrated and especially don’t forget to drink some water during that tattoo session,” he said.
Mike said you should try to schedule your tattoo appointment for the morning as it “helps so much”.
The reason behind this is because “your adrenaline levels are at its peak during the morning hours like as soon as you wake up”.
“And, if you don’t know, adrenaline is a natural painkiller so if your adrenaline levels are high during the morning hours it’s going to reduce the pain of getting that tattoo,” he said.
He continued: “And speaking about the morning… Tip number four on how to reduce the pain of getting a tattoo – that is to simply eat a really big breakfast or just, you know, a good meal in general.”
Mike said people shouldn’t sit on the chair for a tattoo unless their “stomach is full”.
“What I always say is consider the day of your tattoo session on a cheat day,” he shared. “The more carbs and sweet stuff that you could consume, the better.
“So if you want that extra piece of french toast, eggs, bacon… Whatever you want to eat.”
The expert went on to advise people to watch as the tattoo is being inked on.
“You see, when we start focusing on that needle, we’re going to start freaking out more,” he said. “And by focusing on the needle, your nerves are going to send signals to your brain, causing your tattoo experience to be much more painful than it already is.
“So what I like to do and this helps a lot is instead of focusing so much on the pain, think about how awesome that tattoo is going to look when it’s totally finished.”
Tip number six, from Mike, is to use a tattoo numbing cream.
“Now, this does work but me personally, I’m not a huge fan of this one,” he admitted. “Allow me to explain. Most of the time when using a product like tattoo numbing cream, you have to apply the product and then wait for the numbingness to start kicking in.”
Mike said it could take a very long time for the cream to kick in and do what it’s meant to, which means it could take a huge chunk of your tattoo session.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he added that the effects of the tattoo also “doesn’t last that long”.
“This next one is a huge help to reduce tattoo pain and that simply is to have distractions,” he went on.
“Doing things to occupy your mind is key to reduce pain during that tattoo session. Have movies downloaded, make a playlist with all your favourite jams that are just going to get you so pumped during that tattoo session, bring a book or maybe just bring a good buddy.”
Mike’s final tip on his list is to “take a non-aspirin painkiller”.
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“The reason why I say non-aspirin painkiller is because this will not only help reduce the pain of getting a tattoo but will also not thin out your blood like we discussed earlier.”
Mike added that you should take half an hour before the appointment to ensure it kicks in at the right time.
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