And there is also the notion of the tattoo being placed so close to the skull bone. Tattoos done around bones hurt significantly more than those done on more tender areas. Generally speaking, areas around bones are filled with nerve endings, and the vibration of the tattoo machine hits the bones as well, not just the nerve endings. Therefore, the pain immediately elevates and causes significant discomfort throughout the tattooing process.

Read More: Tattoo Pain Chart: What Is The Most (Least) Painful Place (A Comprehensive Guide)

AI01

So, Are Behind The Ear Tattoos Painful?

Generally speaking, yes; behind-the-ear tattoos are considered to be one of the most painful tattoos you can get. However, you have to keep in mind that some people have a greater pain tolerance than others, and therefore experience pain differently. As we previously mentioned, what is painful to one person doesn’t have to be as painful to the other.

Sure enough, the painfulness of a tattoo can be determined by a few factors;

• Individual pain tolerance
• Individual health and mental well-being
• Tattoo artist’s technique
• Whether you’ve been drinking or taking drugs days prior to getting tattooed, etc.

To elaborate; people who are experiencing some kind of illness (let’s say you just had a terrible cold), as well as people who are going through some emotionally stressful times, are more likely to describe their tattoo experiences as super painful and uncomfortable. That is because the body isn’t ready to deal with pain, and tattooing is known to cause your body to go into injury mode.

That causes the body to exhaust all of its energy to heal the ‘wound’ or the tattoo. Therefore, if your immune system is low due to illness or stress, getting any kind of tattoo will definitely be a more painful experience than it would have been otherwise.