Yikes! Most people when they think of a place to get tattooed are not going to volunteer for their armpit. For starters, there’s absolutely tons of nerve endings there – something you probably know if anyone has ever tried to tickle you. Getting your armpit tattooed sounds amazingly painful, but many people that do get tattooed there actually say it’s nowhere near as bad as the skin around the armpit itself. There’s a lot of things to know about armpit tattoos and their care before jumping in though.
1) What to Get?
Getting your armpit tattooed is no different than anywhere else. It’s all about personal style. Whether you like flowers, new school, neo traditional or trash polka there really isn’t a “wrong” or “right” for what to put here. Look at designs that are about the size and shape of your palm unless you want them to show around onto your arm and sides. Some of the more popular choices are flowers and cat heads but there are plenty of joke tattoos with ladies legs and faces where the hair grows back to replace part of the tattoo.
2) Does it Hurt?
The Axillary nerve runs through the armpit, that’s the main nerve going up and down your arm. It’s also what makes the armpit into an erogenous zone because there’s so many tiny nerve endings that come together there. Your skin there is also protecting your lymph nodes and it rarely gets any sun or damage because it’s always protected by your arm. For most people, the armpit really does hurt and the skin there is so sensitive that many find the wrong product gives them terrible irritation let alone a tattoo.
Getting tattooed in the armpit is difficult simply because of the need to stay still. Even if it doesn’t hurt it will probably tickle so you’ve got to have a lot of mental strength to resist your urge to flinch. As to whether it hurts? It’s all to do with your own pain tolerance, but if you really want it you’ll sit through it. The area is certainly not as bad as the backs of the knees or the throat.
3)Aftercare
Taking care of an armpit tattoo does require a few special measures. While you should be putting Aquapohor or aftercare on it of some sort you MUST NOT put any kind of deodorant on there for about 2 weeks. The reason for this is that most have fragrances, colors, and are intended to dry the area out – absolutely the worst thing to happen for a tattoo. You’ll want to avoid tight clothing and no shaving for at least 2 weeks. Once your skin has peeled and isn’t scabbing anymore you may tentatively shave but be careful since the skin here will still be quite delicate.
So do you still want one? This is one of the most unusual tattoos to get and often people who have full sleeves still stop before getting the actual armpit itself done. You won’t see it once it’s healed unless you’re frequently waxing or shaving so consider your lifetime of care too if you are getting it done.
