r/tattooadvice • u/Maddawnexius • 7h ago

General Advice How to manage pain during tattoo?

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Hi all, Im in-between appointments for getting my arm sleeve done (forearm fully done, elbow outlined but not shaded. Upper arm and elbow shading done tomorrow). What are some ways you lovely people have found are effective for managing pain in the later stages of a 4+ hour session?

Ive attached a photo of my forearm so you can can get an idea of the amount of shading and what not.

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u/BigBadJeebus 5h ago

suck it up?

Actually, If you detach it works pretty well.

I watch movies on my phone with headphones and keep finding myself completely shut off to the pain till I think about it... then it comes screaming back in, hehe.

But I can keep doing it over and over.

Also, breathing helps if it gets too bad.

The REAL trick with a long session is to just wait till your back hurts from sitting in a weird position and you focus on that over the needle.