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Mentorship July 11, 2017
These aren't for the faint-hearted.
Foot tattoos seem like a great idea — until you find out they are extremely painful and, in some cases, basically temporary.
I have a foot tattoo inspired by a line from Coldplay’s “Fix You,” and despite my mother’s utter disbelief and multiple efforts to convince me that my tattoo was fake, it is permanent. Well, more like semi-permanent.
You see, I chose to get my tattoo on the inside of my foot. You know, the spot that is constantly rubbing against your shoes, socks, the other foot, etc. In just two days, my foot tattoo was halfway gone. I wondered if I did something wrong by going to the beach the next day (yes, obvi) and if I should have gone to a better tattoo artist.
I admit, I went to a pretty sketchy tattoo shop to get my lovely piece of faded art. The process was relatively painless, which was surprising because I heard that getting a tattoo on your foot hurts pretty badly.
Look: foot tattoos have a reputation, and their reputation is that they hurt like hell to get. However, even though the process is so painful, foot tattoos are increasingly popular. Some have even taken to Twitter to share their experiences.
Foot tattoos can lose ink over time, because the foot is used so regularly. Small tattoos can start looking like bruises or smudges if they’re placed on parts of the foot you use, such as the inside of your foot.
Some tattoo artists will not do tattoos on feet, claiming that they can be dangerous if infected and tend to fade quickly.
The aftercare of your foot tattoo can be tedious. Protecting it from the sun isn’t just a problem for the healing period (which can last around three months). Beware, the ink will fade in the face of excess sun exposure.
Look: if you get a tattoo on the side of your foot, where your shoe rubs, it will rub off. If you choose to get one on top of your foot, it’s going to hurt like hell. If you choose the ankle, it may fade from sunlight.
In general, tattoos are not for the faint-hearted (you know, because of the needles and blood) but foot tats are especially worth knowing about in advance. So if you are thinking about getting a foot tat, finger tat or even an entire tattoo sleeve, we hope you know what to expect.
As for me? I’ll be working on “fixing” my own foot tat.
