Foot Tattoo - Pain, Healing & My Questionable Sanity
Sunday April 26, 2009
Well, I finally got my first foot tattoo; A female sugar skull figure on the top of my right foot. The good news is that it is freakingly, amazingly gorgeous. The bad news is that it was, by far, the most painful tattoo I have ever gotten and it's not finished. Read about my experience and then you can join my best friend in contemplating my mental stability, seeing as how I will be returning in a few days for more torture. Yay! :)As you can see in the photo, my foot is still a bit swollen on day four when this picture was taken. On day five, it's swollen up toward the toes but the rest of it seems to be almost back to normal. The skin is dry and the tattoo is looking a bit "wrinkled" but no sign of peeling yet. Pain is almost non-existent at this point, thank goodness!
Tattoo by Kym Tongate - Artistic Skin Designs - Indianapolis, IN
Comments
I got a foot tattoo almost a month ago, and I think this is my best tattoo to date. I was an hour and 15 minutes of the most painful feeling, I could never describe. I tried everything to not think about it while I was getting it done, but nothing worked. And I had 15 before that, so I should have kinda known what to expect. I love it, and I would do it again, if I needed too. (At least I think I would)
Thank you, Michele! It’s always nice to know we’re not alone in these things!
hey there…well done on your new foot tattoo….cant wait to see the pic…im sorry your experience was less than pleasant, and you are going to hate me when i tell you that both my foot tattoos tickled like crazy when i had them done…haha….i was very apprehensive about a foot tat, specially around the bony ‘bunion’ area, but that bit was the most ticklish for me…both my legs and feet are horribly tickly when i get tats in that area….i have a dragons paw/claw print on my left foot and a guinea fowl feather on my right…they are gorgeous and i love them to bits…..tho i must admit that the next day after these tats when i put my foot on the floor after lying in bed all night, i DID wonder at my sanity in having them done, as the blood rushed in and the brief pain was exquisite…haha…i was lucky that i could rest my foot up on a cushion for most of the 2 or 3 days afterwards, so the walking pain and swelling was minimal…
i too want to see how far i can push my body and experience all there is to know about elective pain..for me it is a rite of passage and a journey that i go on every time i have a new tat or piercing…that is why the person doing the work for me has to be on the same level as i am for the exchange of energies to be perfect…having someone work on your body is one of the most spiritually intimate things you can do…so i understand where you are coming from…thats why i get so annoyed when strangers poo-poo my body art, as it is intensely personal to me and is actually my life story…
i love my feet when i can show them off in summer with dark red toe nails and my lovely tats….you will too….
Raven…
WOW – your tat is amazing…the colours are incredible and the design is lovely…you must be VERY happy with it…sooooo worth the pain….
Raven…
I just turned eighteen on Monday and myself and a couple friends decided to get foot tattoos! They are absolutely gorgeous, however the pain was almost unbearable. Note we do have other tattoos so we do know how they feel. My suggestions are that if you work take atleast a week off because of the swelling and the pain! Otherwise they are gorgeous, just painful!
i just started my foot tatto last week and i sat in the chair for 2hrs and didnt think the pain was that bad kinda injoyable. The swelling was annoying for the frist week it took a half hour to walk 2 city blocks but it was well worth it and i cant wait to actually finsh it
Your tattoo is seriously gorgeous!! i really wish i was brave enough to get one done on my foot, i have 2 a the minuite, 1 on my back and 1 on my neck thy are only small ones but im hoping to be brave enough to get a big 1 for my 17th birthday eeaak!
Absolutely fabulous! I do agree that foot ink is the most painful/uncomfortable, but sooooo worth it. My foot tattoo gets alot of comments and is my favorite bit of ink. Good luck on the second foot.
Both of my feet are tattooed. I also am a tattoo artist and own my own shop in southern Illinois. My personal experience as a tattoo recipiant, regarding having my feet tattooed, can be expressed in 2 words; “insanely painful!” I find myself easily angered by others who arrogantly boast this tattoo’s pain as being “ticklish”. IMPOSSIBLE! As an ethical professional and shop owner, i have made it a practice for any of my shop employees to discuss this fact with a customer who requests their foot being tattooed. I have seen far too many eager tattoo enthuiasts, reduced to “jello” after the proceedure had begun. As a matter of fact, many clients have reported that this type of “informed consent,” has helped better manage their pain threshold, when informed of such, in advance. I wish i took the forwarnings of my peers, re. my large, uncompleted stomach tattoo. 30 minutes into the work, I found myself asking “what the hell am I doing!?” That was 15 hours ago and the work is not yet tottaly complete.
The location of the “canvas” and the presence of a tattoo image on the foot is very beautiful and sexy, especially on women. But ive heard many women admitt the tattoo was “more painful than childbirth.” Love those honest ladies; makes the finished product even more attractive, in my opinon! Mack
hi i got my foot tattooed, my son did it for me. let me tell you it hurt so bad. i love how it looks, but i am not done with it yet. yes i am going to go threw the pain again because i want it finished and i love the way it looks and so does everyone else
Tattoo design in this post is very lovely and good.
Ahh
Im getting my foot tattooed in 2 days and Im absolutely terrified. It is something Ive thought about for a while and I know if I dont do it I’ll regret it. Im getting cherry blossoms across the top of my foot, they are my favourite flower and I love the meaning behind them. Keep you fingers crossed that I dont pass out. Ive got a butterfly on my wrist and to be honest it wasn’t as painful as I’d expected and I’d worked myself up into a right state. So fingers crossed all will be ok x
I got my tattoo today and it is amazing. Cherry blossoms across my foot and they were a perfect choice. The pain was not what I was expecting, it was more stingy than actual pain and I didn’t flinch, scream, swear or cry throughout. My advice to anyone wanting a foot tattoo would be go for it!! you will be happy you did xx
Sorry Mack, you’re the one displaying arrogance here. I’ve just spent two hours having my foot tattooed…while yes, it hurt, I can also state that I found elements of the process ticklish. Your experience as a tattoo artist does not make you an authority on the pain tolerance of the individual. I dug my nails into my husband’s hand a couple of times, but on the whole it was an enjoyable experience…for me…
I had a tattoo done on my foot yesterday and I absoloutely love it. I think I have a pretty high pain threshold but I’ll tell you, it was agony. It only took about 45 mins as this tattoo artist is amazingly quick but very good but I was in agony for the whole time. I would never have another one done on my foot. Today my foot is pretty swollen but the actual tattoo is fine. It was my first tattoo and I would love to have one on my lower back but thinking twice about it now. Note to Paula – I think Mack should know a lot about whether it is painful during the process or not. I don’t think it was very nice of you to say what you did. You are obviously very taken up with what your experience was, perhaps not everyone has a husband to dig their nails into, and not everyone takes someone with them to have a tattoo. Mack was not arrogant at all, he was simply giving advice and really I don’t believe you when you say it tickled. the skin on your feet must be like a rhino’s.
Vanessa, I couldn’t care less what you think of me. I didn’t say my tattoo didn’t hurt, it did. But it was tolerable, and I stressed that was for me, ie my personal experience. You have totally misconstrued what I said, and I stand by the fact that no-one can dismiss a person’s experience of whether or not they found it painful, ticklish, or whatever, tattoo artist or not. And for your information, I have extremely small and very sensitive and ticklish feet.
Seriously Vanessa, think before you type, or read the post properly. It hurt, do you see that? I said it, right up there. But no one can *possibly* rubbish someone’s experience because they’re NOT the one feeling it.
I got my third tattoo 2 days ago & I can honestly say this one I got on my foot was the MOST PAINFUL tattoo ever. My first tattoo I sat through 5 1/2 hours of work on my lower back, and it didn’t amount to the 2 hours that it took for my foot…THE WHOLE TIME WAS FULL OF PAIN!!! It looks great, can’t wait to see it after it completely heals (its slightly swollen)
Ummm I can say that the tattoo really didn’t hurt.I have a large bar of music and notes over the top and going around my ankle and at no point did I jump or or anything it was my 3rd tattoo and my lower back “hurt” more its all mind over matter just remember that and it depends on the artist my artist was great! Just a word of wisdom don’t believe the hype if you want it done go for it if your scared stay at home or go get the fake ones.some people just want to scare you when they say that it made them cry etc… If you really want it don’t let other folks change your mind. Yes it feels funny and stings but it all depends on the person I’m just saying it didn’t hurt me and mine covers the whole top of the foot!!!! I hope this helps whoever wants one. They are sooooo wonderful and I’m going back in a few weeks to add more to mine and may get one on my left foot!just take your ipod blast a few of your fav songs and get into a zone and just remember to relax the more you freak the more its gonna hurt;)I hope this helps GOOD LUCK to everyone and HAPPY INKING!!!!!
Just had a tattoo done on my foot yesterday. My fourth to date. I wanted one for a whle now and had to wait until some surgery on my foot was healed before I went ahead with it. I would however say that this was a painful tattoo compared to my others, (one on wrist, one on left shoulder and large one across lower back). It throbbed the minute it was done and I found I kept waking during the night with the pain, but having said all that, its all going to be worth it – I’m sure! My foot surgery was agony so I guess I’m used to pain. The one thing I would say, is I did find at times the needle would hit a nerve in my foot and I could not control the foot jerk it produced! Wierd!!
Jools, I found the reflex points to be the weirdest too; I would get a cramping feeling between my toes, or weird referred pain (like a stitch in my side, for instance).
But really, it wasn’t too bad at all…I’ll be getting my other foot done.
I’m sure we’re all the same in that the pain is worth it anyway.
Hi im glad i found these comments as i hav ebeen worrying about my foot tattoo that i had done yesterday…I found it very painful and think my nerves in my foot went on overtime…i also have a wrist lower back and shoulder tattoo and these were a walk it the park compared to my foot…As this one is so close to my heart and is of my baby boys footprints walking along my foot whom i lost at 26 in feb this yr i beared the pain…
My foot is really quite swollen and tight,i also went in the bath and now know i shouldnt have done that,it really stung..lol….well hopefully in a few days the swelling will go down and i can walk with my son forever….
Does anyone know how long to wait before going jogging and putting on shoe and socks after a foot tattoo?
I got a tat on my foot about a week ago. I was expecting an unbearable pain. My friends told me it was the worst feeling in the world but the end product is amazing. I agree 100% with them. lol. It did hurt, really really bad. Not nearly as bad as I was making myself believe, but it did not feel good. I almost couldn’t finish it.
My foot is still swollen and the tattoo is crackly. I put A&D on it everyday but it looks terrible because it has the white ointment in it. It’s not going to heal with it in there is it?
I had my foot tattooed a few days ago, and have been laid up since. It was nothing of what I expected, the pain during and after. I am thrilled with what I have now to show for it (a beautiful portrait-like rose for my recently passed Father). I don’t think I will be going back to get my other foot done though, I don’t think I will make it through, as I almost couldn’t bear the pain of the first.
I had my foot tattooed yesterday, and I have to admit it was very painful. My foot is so swollen right now. But it looks amazing. I love it. It’s totally worth the pain.
oh thanks god im not the only one with a swollen foot! LOL. I had a small tattoo on my foot that wasnt done very well and very faded. Just had it redone and upgraded on Saturday and it looks amazing!! (shout out Dustin @ East Coast Tattoo!!!) The new improved tat is probably 3x the size of the original and it definately hurt, but i wouldnt say as bad as child birth, since i cried during that and not while getting inked. I actually think i would take the inking itself over the healing. the swelling is ridiculous. (no thanks for not giving me a heads up on that one) but..finding that a lot of IB Profen really helps. FYI for anyone else with big fat foot right now =o)
I got my foot tattooed on Sunday and love it. It hurt far more than I anticipated, and I just kept having to tell myself that the end result would be worth the the agony. If I had to do it over again, yes, I probably would do it again – it’s so pretty. Would I get another there? No… But I did get one on my neck afterwards even after going through all of the wincing and grimacing. Says a lot about *my* sanity too, lol
I had mine done yesterday. I wouldn’t say it was the worst pain I’ve ever felt, but it didn’t feel great!! I have three kids and childbirth was far worse. It was mainly the parts where it was straight over the bone that hurt the worst. Now I’m so paranoid about infections, keeping it clean, etc. Oh, and it’s my first tattoo.
I got a foot tattoo about 2 years ago, and the pain was pretty bad compared to my others. My whole leg was shaking for like 30 minutes after the tattoo was done. But I’m ready to go back and get more added to it, and at least now I’ll know what to expect!
I really think everyone is different, I got mine last night (my first) and it was on the top of my foot, it took 2 hrs and it didnt feel good but not really bad either. The very top center and the closer it got to my leg hurt the worst, by my toes and around the sides were the least painful for me, and when he did the highlights was the only time I winced and I think it was because he was highlighting on already finished spots, kind of like rescratching a scratch. I am glad to say my foot is a little swollin this morning but no pain. I came home last night proped it and put a ice pack on it.
I got my foot tattooed 3 days ago, it took 3 hours of me sitting there and from the moment it started to the very end the pain didn’t cease! I have 4 other tattoo’s (both wrists,ankle & back) it was by far the worst one yet. My foot is still swollen and I had to call in sick to work because I cannot walk all that well. My tattoo is large (starting from my big toe, across the top & to the outside top of my ankle) I love it, and would do it again but just wish someone would have told me about the swelling! Foot tattoos are not for the faint at heart…and I wouldn’t recommend them for a first tattoo (unless you were getting something very small.)
I wish I would have read these posts before getting my ladybug redone on Sunday. It hurt like all get out. And it still hurts today. My foot is big as a freaking balloon and hurts when I walk to the point where I am limping. I rolled over in the bed last night and put too much pressure on it, had me screaming and cursing to the point my boyfriend paniced.
Glad all the swelling and pain is ‘normal’ – i thought i got ink poisioning! LOL
But hey the work the artist did was out of this world. I think once the swelling goes down and the pain subsides, I will be in love with it. But I won’t get another one on my foot.
I got my foot tattoo just about a year ago – it was my first tattoo so I really didn’t know what to expect pain wise. It really hurt – felt more like it was being burned on than being stuck with a needle. I love it and I’m glad I got it, but I’m leary of getting another tattoo now, even though I would like one.
I’m right there with all of you and the pain. Two hours!!!! is what mine took! It is beautiful! It is day four for me any my foot is still swollen! Not really hurting anymore, but still very swollen. It went in three step process. The first hour was the outline, the next thirty minutes was shading with black, then the last thirty minutes was color. I said that I would not do that again…. and just yesterday I found myself wondering what to put on the other foot! LOL addiction!
I got a rather large four leaf clover on the side of my foot/ankle about three days ago and it’s my second tattoo. My first was a small phrase on lower neck/upper back. My first tattoo was a walk in the park. My foot was unbelievable. I absolutley LOVE my foot tattoo and I would do it all over again. However I would have to say I probably wont be getting another in that area.
As for anyone who had their foot tattoo for their first don’t be afraid to get another one in another area. from myself and others foot tattoos can be the most painful. other places on the body are much more bareable.
I got my first tatto today, (: on my foot, reading comments about how painful foot tattoos were really put me off, but i was brave and went through with it, i was expecting it to be really bad but its honestly not that painful. The pain is bearable, the pain doesn’t make you scream or cry etc. LOL it feels like a burning, tickling sensation, it hurts for a little bit afterwards, it just feels like its troping but its not painful, i would deffintly get one done (:
trobbing*
It hurt like a MF’er but I love it. It’s swollen pretty good. I’m hoping that doesn’t mean anything bad!
Hi! I just got a foot tattoo yesterday….it was my first tattoo ever! So I was proud of myself for doing it. I got scroll work and cherry blossoms. I must say, IT HURT! I was shaking and sweating by the end….45 minutes. My sister also got one on her foot, and she said it was more painful that delivering her 2 children (she delivered without meds!). So, the pain was pretty high! But I love it and wouldn’t change it for anything!
Hi everyone,
It took 3 hours and I did fine. I realize that the pain is different for everyone but for me, I was fine and we talked the entire time. At times, it was uncomfortable but not painful. I am a little swollen today but it is not red
I finally got my nerve up to get my first tattoo. I decided on a sugar skull and of all places to be put on the top of my right foot. I did research and found an artist in my town that is very talented and gentle. I had to wait 3 weeks before he could fit me in but it was so worth it! I had waited 40 years to get one so the 3 week wait did not bother me!
and I am walking fine. Going to work tomorrow and I stand all day as a hairstylist so I hope that goes well. So my advice is if you really want a tat on your foot, find someone you trust and that will take time with you and be as gentle as possible. Go for it!
I just got a foot tatoo this weekend. It was my 3rd tattoo, and my far the most painful. I think the others were more of an annoying feeling than painful. The foot tatto definately hurts. It’s well worth it! I love the way they look..especially in sandals!
I jus got my foot tattoo yesterday.. THE MOST PAINFUL thing I have ever expierienced!!!!! My mural on my bak wasn’t half as bad as my foot… OMG!!!! but it was worth it.. My foot is about da size of a hamhock!!!
i got my foot tattooed on the 20th of august. at the time i thought it only really hurt when it was near my toes but i didnt think it was as painful as i was lead to believe.
however, i think its more painful now with it now trying to heal, and being really swollen, however i wouldnt change the tattoo… see it at http://twitpic.com/em91x
ive wanted a small phrase on the inside fleshy part of my foot for ages and despite reading the pain is even worse than i first imagined, im still really keen. how long would it take to just get 4 words and would the pain be as intense?
i have got my foot tatt n it is very painful.. its been like 3 days now.. n all i am feeling is pain it looks very nice no pealing sign as yet but my foot is kind of puff..some of my friends makin silly jokes about if it got infected then it can cut off n i am kind of scared so i want to kno if that is possible? lol me n my boyfriend even break up bcuz i got a tatt. i wouldnt trade my tatt up for him.. i jus dnt want wat thier sayn about my foot cud b cut off… does any1 every heard of some one gettin their foot cut off because of a tatt??? please let me know
hi everyone ,just want to let u know i got a tribal tat on the outside of my foot and it hurt more than my others by far,swelling is normal,so keep them clean and stay off it and a good pain killer should help,,
Oh my gosh; your tattoo is gorgeous! Im 18 and I’m most likely gettin my tattoo on my foot this saturday. I am absolutely terrified that it is going to hurt so bad. But I’m getting it in the inside arch of my left foot; do ya’ll think it will hurt like, extremely bad?
Oh my gosh; your tattoo is gorgeous. Im 18 and I’m most likely gettin my tattoo on my foot this saturday. I am absolutely terrified that it is going to hurt so bad. But I’m getting it in the inside arch of my left foot; do ya’ll think it will hurt like, extremely bad?