One thing I did not anticipate when getting a full head tattoo was how many times I would be asked the question “Did it hurt?” After careful consideration on how to best respond I have decided to go with “Yes”. However, that “yes” varied quite a bit in different areas of my head. It turned out that the area I started with (the lotus outline on the back) was the LEAST painful. I would describe that as similar to “intense eyebrow tweezing”. The most painful areas were just over my eyes toward the front of my head.

Here’s my description of what each area felt like to me (your mileage may vary):

• Outline on back of head – similar to intense eyebrow tweezing
• Outline on top and sides – more painful than the very back but I was still able to zone out and think about other things.
• Shading on back, top and sides – more painful than the outlines but goes faster. Deep breathing and listening to something soothing on my earbuds was helpful. At some points I was still able to let my mind wander to other things but often it was just a matter of waiting for it to be over.
• Outline and shading on the very front part of the head – say your favorite curse word over and over. When I had some tweaks done in this area on my final visit we used the numbing cream and that worked VERY well for me. It cut the pain down by about 80%.

During a long outline session (about 2 ½ hours) we spent the final 30 minutes going back to touch up some areas that had been done early in the session. This was quite a bit more painful than the original work done a couple of hours prior. After this we made sure to avoid going back to any areas that had been worked on earlier in the same session. This sometimes meant leaving an area incomplete or without the final touches for two to three weeks until the next appointment. In the long run I still got everything done and with less pain.

For me, once the tattooing was over the pain was over. I didn’t have any residual pain in the hours or days after each tattoo session.

Shading vs outline

You can read elsewhere on pain comparisons of shading vs the outline. Based on my own experience and the few people I have spoken with it seems common for the shading to be more painful. In my case I’d say about 50% more. But the good news is that it goes faster than the outline (at least mine did). More good news is that the work is done in short bursts so you get a chance to relax in-between. With my tattoo that seemed to be about five to fifteen seconds at a time.

Painkillers

One extended release Tylenol vs two regular strength taken 4 hours apart

Talk to your tattoo artist about this. I was told to avoid any painkillers that thin the blood. For over-the-counter drugs this meant Tylenol (acetaminophen) was the primary choice. There are extended release versions of acetaminophen that have a different timeframe for effective pain management. I used this chart to determine which one to use in each session. When I expected it was going to be a long session (close to three hours of tattoo work) I used the extended release version. For another session I was planning to drink alcohol later in the evening so I used the standard version. Please do pay attention to the warnings about liver damage with extra doses of Tylenol and also related to alcohol use.

For my next-to-last session which involved a lot of shading I used a prescription narcotic painkiller. I had someone else drive me to and from that session. As a painkiller this was noticeably more effective than the Tylenol alone. However, it was also more difficult for me to focus on what was going on. Fortunately I didn’t have to make any important decisions during that session. I hadn’t considered this impact in advance and I’m very glad that it didn’t turn out to be a problem.

As I mentioned above, I did use numbing cream for the very front of my head during one session. I think this was a great choice for that small, sensitive area but I think it would be difficult to use over a large area. Talk to your tattoo artist if you want to know what the options are. And be aware that different people experience different levels of effectiveness.

Other Useful Tools

The tattoo process right next to your ear can get loud. To help me relax and mitigate the sound to some extent I used earbuds to listen to an app on my phone of people doing the Buddhist chant that I use in my daily practice (chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo). There is a slow version and fast version. As you might expect, I found the slow version to be more soothing.

Doing a head tattoo means spending time lying on your back and on your stomach. I had access to some massage supports which I found to be much more comfortable than just lying flat on my stomach. Ask your tattoo artist what options they have available and feel free to bring along some small items to help make you comfortable.

I also found that my upper back tended to tense up during the tattooing. I brought a heating pad with me to several of the sessions which helped quite a bit with the upper back tension.