Palm Tattoos… Yes? No?…Maybe?

First things first, a tattoo on the palm of your hand…it’s going to hurt! The palm is one of the most sensitive parts of the body so a tattoo needle is gonna make it sting, the palm is roughly four times more sensitive than the shoulder or calf. So yeah they hurt but we all know this, so what else should you know about palm tattoos?
Palm tattoos are not for the faint hearted!

Palm tattoos are not for the faint hearted!

Fading

The nature of the skin on the palm of your hand means that it has faster regrowth than the rest of the body, because of this the ink in your palm tattoo is likely to fade rather quickly, and will most definitely fade quicker than other tattoos. Touch ups thereafter will be the only way to keep your palm tattoo looking fresh!

Health Risks

Any tattoo carries risks, there is always the chance of infection, scarring and allergic reaction that is a fact, for the most part however these risks are fairly minimal but because of the sensitivity of the palm there is a slight increase in the chance of such negative consequences occurring.
Keep it clean and beware of infection!!

Keep it clean and beware of infection!!

Prevention

As noted palm tattoos are highly likely to fade, though there are steps to keep your tattoo nice and bold. Like any part of the body the palm is susceptible to sun damage so job one is always ensuring your tattoo avoid over long sun exposure. Another step to maintain your tattoo is to go bold! The bolder the tattoo the longer the ink should hold, it also helps if the ink is deeper in the skin, of course this means the tattoo will hurt a lot!!! But hey, no pain no gain!!!
Mandala flower by Philip Yarnell

Mandala flower by @philipyarnelltattoos

The Artists Opinion

For the most part tattoo artists will likely refuse to tattoo the palm of your hand and may take some convincing to do otherwise. Palm tattoos have one big effect, they can’t be covered! Most tattoos have the advantage of being covered by clothing so employment is usually no trouble, but as with all hand tattoos gloves are the only covering option so unless your willing to wear gloves as a standard your artist may not want to jeopardize your chances of employment.
Palm tattoos by German tattoo artist Mark Halbstark

Palm tattoos by German tattoo artist Mark Halbstark

Final Say…

Palm tattoos like any tattoo take some thought, but if you think it is the tattoo for you then go for it. However beware of the fading and employment risks that come with it!

Looking for palm inspiration then check out these other awesome Noda Luka posts!

Tasteful Palm Tattoos
Geometric and Blackwork Palm Tattoos