Tattoos and hypersensitivity to touch

Post Reply New Topic

Oh yeah - forgot to mention...the endorphins wear off after awhile. normally, in a nonstop session, brain releases endorphins 3 to 5 minutes in, then you've got about a full four hours of endorphin semi-relief. After that, sensitivity returns to full force. If, however, you take a break in the middle, the brain ceases producing the endorphins, so when you start back - yeowch! It's worse than it was at the beginning, because now you're poking at already traumatized skin. Same reason the sensations may seem to change from pricking and poking the first hour or two, to a burning, like someone's holding a cigarette cherry too close to your skin. The needles are going back over areas that have already been perforated once.

At least with those, by the time you get tired of it it is already about to wear off.

This is more along the lines of what I was curious about. I don't think I would have a problem with the process, but something inside my mind just thinks the skin would be different afterwards. I don't know how - but it's like I visualize the tattoo as a physical item underneath the skin rather than just ink. I wonder if I would try to extract it - similar to how people who visualize bugs under their skin try to cut them out.

For the record, I'm one of those that doesn't get "it" - or preceived irreversable decorating in general. When I lived alone I had bare white walls and I would never do anything to my car. Later, I had to convince myself things would turn out ok if I drilled holes into our concrete patio to anchor a pergola. I defaced the smooth surface and even though no one can see the holes (and the pergola turned out great) I have this internal hang up that I've ruined the perfection of the patio.

But what makes you think the patio was perfect to begin with? I completely get what you're saying. I had an uncle with a homemade tattoo he greatly regretted who warned me repeatedly as a kid, "don't ever do this," so I never gave it any consideration, tho I've been a visual artist all my life. I don't even recall exactly when the idea occurred to me, but I was 36 when I first began to doodle ideas for a tattoo. As I thought about it, it grew into an Aspergian obsession, and I began asking those I knew with tattoos questions, among those "Do you regret the decision?" Of about twenty surveyed, only one said yes, and his was literally the act of a young drunken sailor.

My boss at the time told me his wife was tattooed, and I asked the same question. His answer was "She's not like you and me, constantly second guessing every decision and wondering if it was a mistake. She just decides to do something and does it and never looks back. I wish I could be that self-assured and worry-free."

And that was when I realized that tattoos are just that way - they represent pieces of your life - where you were at a particular moment. Mementos. Signposts. Not defacing, but commemorating the events and trials and struggles and occasional victories along your journey. The idea of the body as some pristine and unimprovable marble statue is an unrealistic ideal. A quick look around shows us that most bodies (or patios) are far from perfect even in their natural state. None of us gets through this obstacle course without scars and bruises, and any noticeable improvement requires pain, sacrifice and hard work. I've had one small piece covered over because I just didn't care for the way it turned out, but for the most part, I wouldn't change them. Even the ones I did on myself when I was still apprenticing are moments in time. Part of the mural, or collage if you prefer, that make up who I am. Have I marred something perfect? I don't feel that I have. I hope I've made something that was common as dirt, more interesting to look at.

Everybody has a body. Not everyone's has the Fireball XL5 whizzing by a space station that's really an old fashioned 45RPM record adaptor, past the Twilight Zone eyeball and Astroboy, toward another space station made of Tinkertoys, while in an interdimensional doorway, Betty Boop paints a large stained glass window depicting a dancing Vampirella. All floating against a backdrop of colorful images from the Hubble telescope. So much more entertaining than just bare skin and hair.

I have tattoos, couple of small ones. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, I loved the way it felt. The vibration of the tattooing needle was euphoric. I am currently researching where to place my third tattoo. Now, I am reeeally sensitive to many things, but I have somewhat of an inhuman pain tolerance.

I enjoyed getting my 3 tattoos.
It made me feel sorta brave.
My first one was done by a tattoo artist as payment for my nannying their kid.
It is a bunny on my leg, which I designed and then the guy redesigned it to make it look more cool and punkrock....
I had lived in their house..and I was the only person in their peer group who was not inked from head to toe.
Among those folk...there is some crazy life-style status-symbol stuff going on that is hard to understand.
My other two, I got years later on the same night, for my birthday. We happened to have a tattoo artist who was living with us at the time. I designed them myself...the ukulele tattoo on my arm, I had done about an hour after I designed it...it hardly hurt at all.
The winged sock monkey on my back was signifigantly more painful.

Sorry to be off-topic, but YOU HAVE A UKULELE TATTOO?!?!?! I want to see pictures!

I don't think my thought process regarding "perfection" is rational. In fact, I would call it my greatest imperfection.

Through various carpentry projects I have learned that I can not create a structure with perfect symmetry or measurements and must compromise. However, I look at any one of my creations and the imprecision bothers me. Perhaps I've been taught by the system that I need to "strive, achieve, perfect" to be worthwhile. Or maybe it's self-doubt that I can make the things around me better. In any case, I think that I would torment myself for the same reasons if I had a tattoo.

I do appreciate that others can celebrate the journey of life in ways that I do not. I would not take that away from anyone. I do not think less of the people that get tattoos or piercings or partake in other activities to celebrate their journey. Rather, I think less of myself for not feeling what they feel - the inspiration to celebrate in such a manner.

It does seem from the responses here, that the finished tattoo does not cause physical discomfort to people with hypersensitive touch except in extreme circumstances (the chemical reaction you mentioned). It's interesting to know. I had thought it was common for skin to become sensitive to sunlight after a tattoo and thought that it would carry over to other issues as well.

I have one and it didn't hurt to get it. Piercing my ear cartilage hurt, but not getting a tattoo. I'm hypersensitive to pain that's harmful, but not harmless pain.

which is why you pick smart places to get them.

why women think belly tatts or tatts on their boobs will look great twenty years from now is beyond me.

ok...if you insist.....do you play the ukulele?...or just have a thing for ukulele tattoos?



Here is the winged sock monkey on my back.....which was alot more painful than the one on the fat outer part of my arm....




Both these pictures were taken while the tattoos were very fresh.

Some bullies at work tried to bully me into getting a tattoo and I almost gave into them but I chickened out as soon as the tattooist called my name

I got into a serious relationship at a very young age, and he tried to bully me into getting his name tattooed on me as a form of some sorta ownership rite/punishment....but I was underaged, and we could not find a tattoo artist who would do it...though we drove all around looking for one, and he even suggested that I get fresh with the tattoo artist in order to encourage him to do it.....bleh.....bad memory triggered by the concept of bullied into getting tattoo......

I can't speak for anybody else, but I got my Celtic tattoo because I've always loved that style of art.

As for hypersensitivity, it depends on the body part you have tattooed. Getting it on the shoulder felt like a slight burning/prickling that wasn't unbearable.

My tattoos represent things that are signifigant to me..and I designed all of them myself.
(the rabbit is because I was born in the year of the rabbit...and I had cooincidentally just finished reading Watership Down...which I really liked....
The other two, of which there are photographs go without saying.

I can say that i am glad I have not gotten any frivolous tattoos thus far.


I don't know if I will ever get another one..it iwll all be dependant on whether or not I have a tattoo artist for a friend....as that was the case with the others...I will not shell out big bucks to be worked on by some stranger...

I've always wanted a Third Eye tattooed on my forehead, but I've been told it would make me unemployable. Shame, really.


No actual tats yet.
Still toying with the idea of getting my webname barcoded onto my upper back...... or getting a page of the Tao Te Ching in original Chinese tatted all the way down my back BIG style. Both would only involve black ink... so less fade, though my skin is rather stretchy so I'm not sure what effect that would have.