The Worst Places To Get a Tattoo (Where It Hurts The Most and Where It Looks The Worst)

One of the main reasons people get tattoos is to express themselves, their creativity, or even their life story. Tattoos pay a special homage to ourselves, the things we. Have been through, the things that inspire us, or the things we see the unique beauty in and want to share with the world. However, tattoos are a lifelong commitment and require professional artistry and skill to make them look vibrant and fresh even years after you initially got tattooed.

Now, the deal with tattoos is that you can have a good design, but a bad placement on the body that makes the good design or message diminish and fall into irrelevancy. Objectively speaking, some placement areas are simply a no-go, even in the tattoo industry. And, both objectively and subjectively, some areas simply hurt too much to get them tattooed.

So, if you’re doing some research regarding the body placement of your new tattoo, here are the worst possible body placement options that you should stay away from. Without further ado, let’s see which ones have made it on our list!

The Worst Places To Get a Tattoo

Worst Body Placement – Areas That Hurt The Most

What is the first question people ask about tattoos? Well, it’s about the pain, in probably 100 cases of these questions. Does the tattoo hurt? Where does it hurt the most? People ask these questions so they can avoid getting tattooed in super painful areas. Sometimes the pain is the price we pay for something beautiful, but it doesn’t have to be like that when it comes to tattoos.

Even though there aren’t really much scientific evidence about the different pain areas in the body, we are all aware that some body areas are more prone to increased pain than others. Now, according to many anecdotal stories in the tattoo industry, the general consensus about the most painful areas to get tattooed is as follows;

Rib cage – this is a pretty popular tattoo location choice, but only for those with higher pain tolerance and thicker skin. Rib cage pain can be pretty severe, and it is definitely not recommended for tattoo beginners to get a rib cage tattoo. The skin here is super thin, it is in close proximity to ribs/bones, and of course, the nerve endings make the pain even more intense.

Ankles and shins – again, thin skin, nerve endings, and close proximity to the bones make ankles and shins a no-go in terms of pain-free tattooing. You will probably experience severe pain, similar to the rib cage tattoo.
Chest and breast – the chest/breast area is an extremely sensitive location by itself. There are millions of nerve endings, and for women, this is an especially painful location to get a tattoo. Because nipples and breasts are super sensitive, and tattooing them can cause extreme pain, women should definitely think twice before getting a chest tattoo.
Head (face, neck, ears) – millions of nerve endings all over your head, face, and neck make it pretty hard to advise for getting a head tattoo. On top of that, the skin is super thin and the proximity to the bones is too close. There is no cushion, extra fat, or thick muscles on the head to protect you from irritating the nerves and experiencing severe pain. So, rethink your options if the pain is something you’d like to stay away from.

Elbow and kneecap – these locations seem to be super popular, but don’t always believe the hype. To get a tattoo in places where the nerve endings, bones, and thin skin coexist to cause you as much pain as possible is pretty crazy. So, don’t be a daredevil and just move your tattoo location to the thigh or bicep area if this is where you want your tattoo to be. There is more muscle cushion, extra fat, and fewer nerve endings in the alternative areas.

So, to summarize; if you want to experience the least amount of pain possible during tattooing, we recommend you avoid;

Areas with thin skin – this means more sensitive nerve endings that can be severely irritated during tattooing

Areas with close bone proximity – this means there is no extra muscle or fat cushion, so the tattooing irritation within the bone proximity can cause severe pain
Areas with lots of nerve endings – these are usually areas with thin skin – the nerve can get easily irritated thanks to the repetitive nature of tattooing, which causes severe pain

Aesthetically Worst Tattoo Body Placement – Areas That Don’t Look Good

Sometimes, the criteria for the ‘worst placement for tattoo’ isn’t just determined by the pain it may cause. The aesthetics of a tattoo’s body placement plays a rather important role in the way tor tattoo will look once it’s done. Therefore, here are the aesthetically worst places to get tattooed, according to tattoo artists;

The abdomen area – not only does it hurt to get your stomach tattooed, it may also not look flattering at all. The abdomen skin is known to stretch a lot throughout life, and this is especially true for women (in pregnancy, for example). As the skin stretches, so will the tattoo. As a result, your tattoo may lose its initial shine and appearance. And, of course, the more the skin stretches, the more will the tattoo color fade. And this won’t look flattering at all.
Feet – again, let’s ignore the pain for a second (foot tattoos hurt like hell) and focus on the fact that feet tattoos probably fade the fastest. Your feet are constantly in motion, covered by socks or shoes. The constant rubbing and moving can affect the appearance of your tattoo, not in 10 years, but in less than one year after getting it done. And, let’s be honest, faded tattoos never look good.

Face tattoos – these have become so popular in the past few years thanks to the influence of rappers and rap music. However, these are also the tattoos people regret the most. First of all, they’re there on your face. You cannot cover them with anything; there isn’t a T-shirt for your face. Furthermore, as you get older and your skin loses flexibility, the tattoos will start to stretch and fade (thanks to sun exposure as well). Face tattoos are not cute, and we can all agree on this.
Fingers – finger tattoos look good initially. However, over time, because you use your hands constantly, they start to fade and lose the initial crisp shape. The exposure to rubbing, water, and constant movement can make your tattoo look faded and old despite the fact that you just got it a few months ago. Plus, people are less likely to hire you if you have such visible tattoos, unfortunately.

So, to summarize, if you want your tattoo to be and stay aesthetically pleasing as time goes by, you may want to avoid the following things;

Getting tattoos on fingers, hands, and wrist – these are the areas that move a lot, crease even more, and are constantly exposed to water, sun, different textures, movements, etc. All of this contributes to the quick fading of the color and loss of the initial tattoo shape.
Getting foot tattoos – the constant rubbing, and exposure to moisture and bacteria can make your foot tattoo look like it was done in prison, and not by a professional in just a few months, not a few years. We also recommend you avoid the ankle, side of the feet, and top and under the feet areas for tattoos for the same reasons.

Head and face tattoos – these are probably the worst, aesthetics-wise. They hurt like hell, fade super quickly, lose shape as you get older, and cannot be easily covered, or covered at all. You minimize your chance of employment too with head and face tattoos.

Final Thoughts

So, if you had any doubts about the placement of your new tattoo, we hope you have a clear vision now of where you don’t want to put it. Now, these are our objective insights. If you personally think that you can pull off any of the aforementioned tattoo placements, then surely you should go for it. It is your body and you’re free to do whatever you want.

But, we do advise you to give it a thought; sleep on some ideas and figure out whether you can see yourself rocking these tattoos 10 or 15 years from now. Consult your tattoo artist as well if you’re still having doubts. We wish you good luck and happy tattooing!

Also Read:

Tattoo Pain Chart (Scale): What Is The Most (Least) Painful Place (Male & Female)

A Comprehensive Tattoo Guide For Beginners (Pain, Placement, Sizing, Price, Aftercare, Removal)