Thinking About Getting a Finger Tattoo? Here's What You Should Consider First

The first thing you should know if you're considering getting a finger tattoo is that some artists might not even agree to do one for you. "Finger tattoos often have a high rejection rate [because of their] high chance of healing with imperfections," New York City-based tattoo artist Gianna Maria Galli told POPSUGAR. "This is often regardless of how skilled the tattooer is and has more to do with the area."

On top of being a smaller part of the body that requires a lot of attention to detail when being tattooed, finger and hand tattoos tend to fade easily. Because of this, Galli said, many artists refuse to tattoo in this area as a way to avoid the overall difficulty associated with it. That said, this doesn't mean it'll be impossible to find an artist to draw one for you.

"I personally like tattooing hands and fingers," she said. "I usually just ask folks what level of a perfectionist they are, and if the answer is high, logic often dictates that we tattoo another area. If they can live with imperfections, we'll do it, and most times folks are super happy [with the results]."

Though hands and fingers are highly sensitive areas, Galli mentioned that getting them tattooed is often an "oddly tolerable" experience. (That said, it depends on your personal pain tolerance, so it's different for everyone.)

Because of how often we use our hands to complete daily tasks, you'd think that waiting for a finger tattoo to heal would be ten times more complicated than it would be for a tattoo in another area, but according to Galli, they actually heal pretty quickly.

"By design the skin in the area is rougher and less supple, so it tends to seal up quickly," she said. The main thing to keep in mind about the aftercare process is to make sure you're not overwashing your hands or suffocating your tattoo with ointments.