A Painful Foot Tattoo

You can get a tattoo just about anywhere of anything. Surprisingly, the foot has become a tattoo hot spot. Young and old tattoo enthusiasts are racing to get their foot art. Even though the feet are one of the most painful areas to get a tattoo, their popularity is growing! Is it safe for anyone to get a tattoo on their foot?

The foot has many tendons, ligaments, bones, blood vessels, and nerves. The bottom part of the foot is nicely cushioned with fat, but the top of the foot has a very thin layer of skin and fat. Thus, there is very little protecting the delicate structures underneath. The less fat an area has, the more painful the tattoo sight. The skin is basically made up of three parts called the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. The epidermis is the skin that regularly flakes off on a daily basis. The dermis is deeper and is the layer that tattoo ink is injected into. The tattoo needle injecting the ink is not intended to go into the hypodermis that contains larger blood vessels and nerves. There are tiny nerve endings in the dermis and thus the tattoo procedure will be very painful. One reason that foot tattoos are extremely painful and tedious is due the fact that the skin is thinner on the top of the foot and there is little space between the layers.

In simple terms, a tattoo is a wound with a dye injection. The skin which is a protective barrier to bacteria is broken and a foreign object, the dye, is injected into the sight. The body reacts to the dye and “walls it off” to protect the rest of the body from this foreign object. As a result, a permanent tattoo is formed. Most tattoos do not lead to serious complications, but occasionally a foot tattoo can go sour. It is important to keep the tattoo sight clean and protected after the procedure. Unfortunately the foot is often in socks and shoes that can harbor bacteria. The foot also bears a lot of weight and can put stress on the structures surrounding the tattoo and the tattoo itself. Many have to resort to flip flops or other non-supportive shoes for days to weeks before returning to their normal shoes. If your feet are not used to being in unsupportive foot gear, this may lead to generalized or focal foot pain. Still, it is more important to keep the tattoo sight clean since the complication is much more severe than not wearing proper shoe gear. Once the tattoo sight has healed, one should go back to wearing socks and supportive shoes during regular day activities.

Since tattoos are wounds, there is a population that should avoid getting a tattoo on the lower extremity and especially the foot. Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is an extremely common disease among diabetics, and all people over 50 years old. It is the aging of the arteries that causes the vessels to be narrower than normal and thus decreases the blood supply to the feet. Wounds need blood and oxygen to heel. Remember, a tattoo is a wound and it also needs blood and oxygen to heel. Thus, if you have diabetes or PAD, your wound could turn into an ulcer that is limb threatening. People with lymphatic diseases and those who are have lost feeling in their feet are also at increased risk for developing an ulcer.

If you are interested in expressing body art on your feet, make sure your feet are healthy! Visit your podiatrist to have a foot exam to evaluate the health of your feet. If you have decreased pulses or sensation, your cool foot statement could lead to a not so beautiful wound or even an amputation!