Woop Woop, No More Tattooing Pain !
Key Takeaways
- Numbing creams such as Emla can significantly reduce tattoo pain, but no tattoo is completely pain free. Expect discomfort to be reduced, not removed.
- Emla contains lidocaine and prilocaine, which block pain signals from the skin, and needs around 60 minutes under an airtight covering to take full effect.
- Bubblegum Ink asks all clients to say in advance if they have applied a numbing product, so the artist can adjust technique and timing accordingly.
- Leaving numbing cream on far longer than directed does not increase the effect and can make the skin more sensitive, not less.
- Bubblegum Ink is an appointment-only studio in Sandbach, Cheshire, and is happy to discuss numbing options before your booking on 01270 385001.
People ask us about pain more than anything else. Usually before they have even asked about the design. It is a fair question and there is no point pretending otherwise, so here is what we tell clients when they ring up worried about it, based on thirty years of doing this and a lot of people sat in the chair.
Does Getting A Tattoo Hurt?
Yes, but probably less than you are imagining. Most people come out of their first session saying it was nowhere near as bad as they had built it up to be. The sensation is more of a hot scratch than a stabbing, and after about ten minutes the body starts to settle into it.
How much it hurts depends on a few things. Where on the body it is going matters most. Outer arm, outer thigh and calf are the easy ones. Ribs, sternum, inner arm, ankle and anywhere over bone are harder. How long you are sat there matters too, because the first hour is always easier than the fourth.
Then there is the stuff you can control. Turning up on no sleep, no breakfast and three coffees will make any tattoo feel worse. Eat properly beforehand. That single piece of advice fixes more problems than any cream does.
How Numbing Creams Work
Emla is a local anaesthetic cream containing lidocaine and prilocaine. It has been used in GP surgeries and hospitals in the UK since the nineties for injections and blood tests, so it is a well understood product. It works by blocking the nerve signals in the top layers of skin so the message never reaches your brain.
It is not made specifically for tattooing. Using it before a tattoo is off label, which is worth knowing, and it is why you should read the packaging properly rather than taking anyone’s word for it, including ours.
A tube costs a few pounds. You do not need much.
How To Apply It Properly
This is where most people go wrong, and it is why plenty of people are convinced numbing cream does not work when in fact they just used it badly.
Put a decent layer on the area, thicker than you would a moisturiser. Do not rub it in. Then cover the whole thing with cling film and tape the edges down so it is airtight. The skin needs to be sealed for this to work at all. When the area cannot breathe the pores open up and the cream soaks in properly. Leave it that way for forty to sixty minutes.
Two things to watch. First, make sure you are not wrapping so tight that you cut off circulation. If your hand starts going numb as well, that is not the cream doing its job. Second, keep the covering on until you get to the studio. Take it off too early and you will have lost half the effect by the time the needle goes in.
Common Mistakes
Leaving it on for hours. We hear this one constantly. Somebody applies it at seven in the morning for a midday appointment thinking longer means number. Go much past three hours and it starts to work against you, sensitising the skin instead of numbing it. More is not better.
Applying it to broken or irritated skin. If the area is sunburnt, scratched, shaving rashed or otherwise unhappy, leave the cream off and tell us.
Expecting it to last the whole session. It will not. It wears off during the appointment, particularly once the area has been worked over. On a long sitting you are getting the first stretch easier and then you are on your own, which honestly is fine, because by then you have settled.
Not telling the artist. More on that below, because it matters.
Who Should Not Use It
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Numbing cream is not for everyone. Check with a pharmacist first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if you have a known allergy to local anaesthetics, if you have any blood condition, or if you are using it on a child. Anyone on regular medication is better off having a two minute conversation over the counter than guessing.
It also should not go on large areas of the body at once. Covering a whole back or a full sleeve in anaesthetic cream is not a good idea and no reputable artist will encourage it. If you are having a big piece done, talk to us about breaking the work across sittings instead.
Buy It From A Pharmacy
You will find all sorts of numbing gels and sprays on eBay and various marketplace sites, often at daft prices, often with names you have never heard of. We would leave them alone. You cannot verify the strength, you cannot verify it is genuine, and you have no idea how it has been stored or how long it has been sat in someone’s garage.
A pharmacy costs you a few pounds, the product is what it says it is, and you get to ask a pharmacist whether it is suitable for you. There is no good reason to do it any other way.
Tell Your Artist You Have Used It
Please do. Not because we mind, we genuinely do not, but because numbed skin behaves differently under the needle. It can sit slightly differently, and it changes how we read the skin as we work. If we know, we adjust. If we do not know, we are working half blind.
Nobody is going to judge you for it. Roughly one in ten people have a real aversion to needles and plenty more just do not fancy the pain. Use whatever helps you get through the day, just say so when you walk in.
Ways To Reduce Tattoo Pain Without Cream
Eat a proper meal within a couple of hours of your appointment. Low blood sugar is the main reason people go pale and wobbly in the chair, not the tattoo itself.
Get a decent night’s sleep. Tired skin is more sensitive and tired people have less patience for sitting still.
Go easy on the caffeine and do not turn up hungover. Both make you jumpy and both thin your blood a little.
Bring something to occupy your head. Headphones, a podcast, someone to talk to. Attention is a big part of pain, and people who spend two hours staring at the needle have a much worse time than people who do not.
Say something if you need a break. We are not going to be annoyed. A five minute breather and a biscuit resets most people completely.
Do Ashes Tattoos Hurt More?
No. This comes up a lot, so it is worth answering here. The prepared ashes are worked into the ink itself and the tattooing process is exactly the same as any other piece, so it feels no different. There is more detail on the do ashes tattoos hurt page, and the preparation process is covered on adding ashes into tattoo ink.
HAVE FUN
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a tattoo be completely pain free?
No. Numbing products reduce sensation considerably but do not remove it entirely, and their effect fades as the session goes on. Most clients who use a numbing cream describe the experience as manageable rather than painless. Being well rested, well fed and hydrated makes as much difference as anything applied to the skin.
How long before my appointment should I apply numbing cream?
Around 60 minutes for Emla, applied under an airtight covering such as cling film. Always follow the instructions on the packaging you buy, as different products vary. Applying it too early or too late is the most common reason people find it has not worked.
Does leaving numbing cream on for longer make it work better?
No. Past the recommended window the effect plateaus, and leaving it on for several hours can leave the skin more sensitive rather than less. Follow the timing on the packaging rather than assuming more is better.
Where should I buy numbing cream?
From a pharmacy, where you can check the product is suitable for you and get advice from the pharmacist. Bubblegum Ink does not recommend buying topical anaesthetics from online auction or marketplace sellers, as concentration, authenticity and storage conditions cannot be verified.
Is numbing cream safe for everyone?
Not necessarily. People with certain skin conditions, allergies to local anaesthetics, or who are pregnant, and young children, should check with a pharmacist or GP first. Numbing products should not be applied to broken or irritated skin, and covering very large areas at once carries additional risk.
Do I need to tell my tattoo artist I have used numbing cream?
Yes, always. Numbing products can slightly change how the skin takes ink and how it behaves during the session, so your artist needs to know in order to adjust. At Bubblegum Ink we simply ask that you mention it when you arrive.
Does numbing cream affect how the tattoo heals or looks?
Used correctly and within the recommended timings, it should not affect the finished result. Problems tend to come from overuse, leaving product on far too long, or applying it to skin that is already irritated. Your artist will tell you at the start of the appointment if anything looks off.
Can numbing be topped up during a long session?
Some artists use a secondary spray on already broken skin partway through a longer sitting. This is something to discuss at consultation rather than assume, and Bubblegum Ink will talk you through the options for your specific piece before the day.
Does an ashes tattoo hurt more than a normal tattoo?
No. The prepared ashes are worked into the ink and the tattooing process itself is the same, so the sensation is no different. There is more on this on the do ashes tattoos hurt page.