This is a personal decision. We would always say for your first tattoo go without, because it’s the only way you will know how it feels and most people end up being surprised at how well they manage it. (All our clients that have had lip fillers say that is way worse than getting a tattoo, so that’s one way to measure it!)
What to factor in when deciding whether to use numbing cream for your tattoo?
It only lasts for a certain amount of time depending on the brand. If your appointment is longer than this and it wears off you will feel everything and won’t have built up a tolerance for the pain.
Some people’s skin reacts badly to numbing cream. If you arrive for your appointment and have had a reaction, we won’t be able to tattoo you (and you will need to pay a new deposit for a new booking). Always do a patch test before the day of your appointment to see if you’re likely to have a reaction.
For some people the numbing cream can affect the texture of the skin, making it harder to tattoo. This can mean your appointment ends up taking longer and costing more, the skin can get overworked, or your tattoo may not heal as well as it would have done without it.
Three things to do before using numbing cream.
The three most important things to do are to make sure you buy it from a trusted retailer, let your tattoo artist know in advance that you will be using it and do a patch test to check for allergic reactions. A lot of people are using numbing cream with no problem, ultimately this is your choice and we hope we were able to help you, reach out to us if you have any questions here.
Wanna know what are the least and most painful places to get a tattoo?
We have asked some of our more heavily tattooed clients to let us know. Check out our blog post here
Written by Sheine, tattoo artist at Outliers Ink Birmingham Tattoo Studio
