Hand & finger tattoos
Photos: Leseb Bing - Vlad Morgan - Leseb Bing - Manu Ego
Hand & Finger Tattoos
There are several possible tattoo placements on the hands, and each of these particular placements has its advantages, but especially its constraints.
There will always be exceptions to what we tell you because tattooing remains a handcrafted art in the sense that the skin is not a mere sheet of paper; what applies to one person doesn't apply to another, and we all have different bodies. Not all artists work the same way; some refuse to tattoo hands, others only refuse on minors, while some accept anything regardless of the design...
Generally, we avoid tattooing the joint line between the hand and the wrist because it doesn't hold well and it's very painful. The aging of a small tattoo or lettering precisely in this area of constant movement is rarely a long-term success.
It's different for a large tattoo that extends from the arm to the hand: the eye is drawn to the entire piece, not by the few millimeters that might be slightly differently colored or blurred on the wrist.
Tattoo by Manu Ego.
Overall, all hand placements are known to be painful and can be complicated to heal... but just like any other placement!
As for us, we refuse to tattoo the sides/undersides of fingers or the side of the palm because despite very rare exceptions, it doesn't hold: it partially or completely fades, it spreads (the ink diffuses under the skin), in short, it looks bad in the long term!
For young adults (we refuse to tattoo minors), we always prefer to have the person come to the shop to discuss the project in person when it comes to very visible placements like hands/face. Simply to see if it's a deliberate and conscious choice.
Because let's not kid ourselves, we see more and more tattooed people, but that doesn't mean that very visible tattoos are socially accepted. It can cause daily problems, and we prefer that the person makes their choice with all possible information at hand and not on a whim without any thought. We always reserve the ethical right to refuse a project if a legal adult wants to get their face or hands tattooed as their first tattoos.
Now for the palms of the hand! Our artist Leseb Bing is the only one who does this placement at the shop, and after being under his needles about 5 years ago, I can confirm: it hurts!!! But I'm very happy with the result because the tattoos have barely moved since. I did it knowing that potentially, it risked bleeding, thickening, or even fading quickly given the location, but... when it's well done, it holds!
You can never expect a more-than-perfect healing or that a line under the skin will remain identical to one on a piece of paper ad vitam aeternam. You must accept that a tattoo moves with the skin, especially on the hand :)
Because did you know? We use our hands a lot every day! As for healing, you have to be very careful: no submerged baths (no dishwashing, for example), no dust, bacteria... etc. So professions in construction, food service, or personal care, to name a few, must be very careful during healing or, at best, take a few days off.
The back of the hand, if properly tattooed, holds as well as other parts of the body. The design must be well adapted (the smaller it is, the fewer details it should have for good aging). Be careful, however, about your professional environment; some professions prohibit visible tattoos, for example.
As for the fingers, we will avoid the knuckles, but again, this is not an exact science; it's simply a placement where the tattoo risks bleeding under the skin over time, if you accept that, then no problem. For the phalanges, as long as the design is very simple, without details, then it should not be an issue.
We do not practice tattooing through fingernails, so on this particular point, we will leave the floor to the rare professionals who do it!
