Pain sensitivity when tattooing: do women and men perceive pain differently?

Pain sensitivity when tattooing: do women and men perceive pain differently?

When tattooing, color pigments with thin needles are brought under the skin. Depending on the body region, there are more or less nerve cells under the epidermis, the upper layer of skin. No matter where you can sting - you always have to count on any pain when tattooing and in the first few days of the regeneration phase. But do all people perceive the pain when tattooing? We get to the bottom of whether women or men are better prepared for tattooing and which individual factors actually influence the sensation of pain.

How does tattoo actually feel?

• The pulsating stinging of the needle is mostly perceived by tattoo fillings as a scratch.
• The body shows slight immune reactions during the risver. The skin feels hot and pulsates painfully, especially when filling color areas.
• Even after tattooing, the skin is very sensitive to pressure.
• The freshly tattooed area can feel warm and somewhat exciting in the first few days after.

Sensitivity to pain in men and women

There are many rumors about gender -specific differences in pain sensation: Women supposedly do not persevere and have constant headache, abdominal or body aches, constantly men According to every effort, give up the vernacular and "would never endure the pain of birth". What is right now? Are you a hard dog or maybe your hormones really make the pain easier? An answer could deliver science. Two current studies on the topic show why this is problematic:

A knowledge gap in medicine

In medical research, gender differences have always been given terrifyingly little attention. Only since 2016 has researchers bring this aspect into their work. Only a few studies are specifically dealing with gender differences.

Testosterone as a pain inhibitor

Current research indicates that the male sex hormone Testosterone has a pain -relieving effect. Men therefore perceive acute injuries less intensely than women. Reports of people who have undergone gender conversions also speak for this. Transgender women report chronic pain and increased sensitivity to pain since the beginning of their estrogen therapy. On the other hand, transgender men report an increased stimulus threshold by taking male sex hormones.

How does the body react to tattoos?

Tattooing means pure stress for your body. The immune system is in full swing and an entire cocktail of hormones is released, some of which can have a strong influence on the sensation of pain. So wIrk happiness hormones as well as stress hormones positively on the sensation of pain And the body becomes more resilient. How strongly this factor your sensation of pain is influenced when tattooing can hardly be predicted. Ultimately, pain seems to be an individually very different phenomenon that cannot simply be divided into gender drawers.

These factors can affect the sensation of pain

• Gender (testosterone content in the blood)
• Stress (partner, job, appointments etc.)
• Daily form (mood)
• Metabolism (hunger, immune system)
• fatigue
• Condition of the skin
• Excitement (adrenaline, serotonin, dopamine)

Every pain goes by

If you are afraid of your next tattoo session or even had to stop a session because the pain was unexpectedly large, this is not a shame. With so many possible influences, it may well be that you simply have caught a bad day for tattooing. It is important that you have a good breakfast before your tattoo appointment and stick to your tattoo artist's pension instructions. Take a comfortable attitude on the tattoo chair and try to get a relaxed approach. The most important thing is always, calmly and normally further breathe :)

You can do that to relieve pain when tattooing

• Sleep well before the next tattoo appointment. If you get a large -scale tattoo, try not to plan any further appointments even after the session, but also treat yourself to some rest.
• Eat something beforehand and take a banana or salt bars and cola to the tattoo artist if a longer session is planned. A stomach Increases well -being and delivers the necessary energy to your body to reduce stress hormones and to endure pain more easily.
• Avoid narcotic sprays, medication or other pain -relieving agents. These can influence the reactions of the skin or dilute the blood, so that clean tattoo is no longer possible.
• With our Tattoomed You can maintain freshly tattooed skin gently and support the regeneration from the outside. So the pain of tattooing is certainly quickly forgotten.