Anaesthesia and Tatoos

If you’re like me then you’ve never heard of an influencer named Godoi. In fact, the only thing that really may have given him his 2 minutes of fame was his recent death. Getting tattooed with numbing agents and even under anaesthesia has been a topic for a while. Most of us can’t afford to hire a surgical team and anaesthnetist to make our tattoos pain free, and frankly I’d like to credit my clientele with also understanding how stupid of an idea that is. 

Asides from the obvious, tattoo pain isn’t that bad. It’s also not life or death like an operation to need to risk anaesthesia. Before getting surgery you’ll have a whole team look at the risks, give other options etc. Approximately 1.1 per million die each year due to complications of anaesthesia. And while that number seems low, this guy is literally the only reason that there’s 1 attributed to tattooing with anaesthesia. 

Why is Anaesthesia Dangerous?

Before we go on, I want it clear that I am not a healthcare professional, doctor, anaesthesiologist or in any way hold medical qualifications to give you an answer on this. However, I’m also citing the information here so you can do your own research if you happen to have the spare $100k to actually be considering the idea of being under anaesthesia. 

Complications from anaesthesia include low blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, brain injury, embolism, hyperthermia, and harm to the vocal cords among others. The risks vary with your health. Generally, if you are in good health you should be safe under anaesthesia - key word “should”. 

The cocktail of drugs needed to put you under varies, but it’s strong which means there’s several systems affected. In a rather crass description you’re effectively poisoning your body enough that you pass out but not enough to die. The cardiovascular system becomes slow, the kidneys and liver work overtime to filter the drugs out of your system, and any of those could fail or go wrong. 

Under anaesthesia you lose even the most basic reflexes and the balance is so delicate your vegetative functions like heartbeat and breathing can fail if it’s off. It’s a hugely exact science that doesn’t even begin to touch complications from other medications and the unknown of every individual body. 

Literally, these situations are supposed to be used for life and death because it can be a risk for death for some people. 

Why Would You Use Anaesthesia for a Tattoo?

Fear. It really is that simple. I’m not alone in saying I’ve been traumatized by tattoo pain. A heavy and and a sensitive spot definitely has left me sobbing and at my limit. But it wasn’t life threatening, I chose to get the tattoo, and could have at any point simply stopped if the pain was too much. On top of this, there are numbing creams with far less risk. 

If you are that scared of the tattoo pain then frankly it’s my opinion you shouldn’t get the tattoo. Not because of some macho “pain earns the tattoo” concept, but because clearly tattooing isn’t for you. The idea of getting a whole backpiece in one go is also ludicrous and simply being under anaesthesia for it to go faster more so. 

If you have tremors or shakes and think it would take pity on your tattoo artist I applaud that, but I’d also rather you not risk death for a tattoo. A wobbly line here or there isn’t that serious. 

Official Response

Obviously the fans of this idiot are sad, but it’s such a preventable death and while the average person would never consider spending $100k just for a painless tattoo experience there’s still that one that might. 

Clearly, I agree with this statement. The APT is about educating artists and our community. But it’s up to us to educate our clients. I’ve mentioned numbing gel and have even used it. According to the state it’s even required in cosmetic procedures. I have used it myself and had good and bad reactions. I’ve had a whole tattoo scar up and fall out and I’ve had a practically painless one. 

What Should You Look for in a Numbing Cream?

If you truly don’t think you can stand the pain or just want it dulled down numbing creams aren’t without risk. They can cause scarring, they can cause the tattoo to fall out, they can cause an allergic reaction. The most common is that your tattoo heals splotchy and has to be touched up. But they’re not life threatening. 

The most common brands I recommend are DrNumb and Mad Rabbit. Zensa is a great brand too but the product doesn’t last at all and is expected to be reapplied every 15 minutes. These brands are well documented and recommended. Random companies from China or that don’t have a lot of reviews are probably not the best. But I have had people bring in mystery tubes and have a positive experience. 

In the state of Virginia 5% is the maximum allowance for Lidocaine (the active ingredient) to be sold without a prescription. You can get prescription creams that are much higher but that’s a conversation for your doctor. 

Hopefully you’ll have enough common sense to make your own decisions about it. Tattoos are not a life or death decision but your fear about the pain could be if you’re as silly as Godoi.