Want to keep your tattoo a secret? Tattoos can be kept personal; not everyone has to know that you’ve been inked. For the secretive tattooee, here are a few tattoo placements that will keep your ink private.
Sternum Tattoo
Whether it be on your sternum or beneath the breast, the chest can be an ideal placement for tattooees who don’t want to show off their ink. Depending on your choice of swimsuit, an underboob tattoo can still peek out, as can a sternum tattoo.
Getting inked on a thin skin, boney area like the sternum can be high on the pain scale, as there is little fat and muscle to absorb the impact of the needle.
The discomfort doesn’t end there. Aftercare can be a bit challenging for this area, as you can’t wear a bra. Bras are close fitting and rub against the skin. Any friction can negatively impact the healing process, so you’ll need to wear loose fitting clothing for around two weeks after getting inked.
Mini tattoo designs work well on the sternum, some popular choices being small snake tattoos, floral designs, and mandala patterns. Curving, flowing designs work well as underboob tattoos, such as script words, chandelier lace designs, and wings.
For more on Sternum Tattoos, click here.
Inner Lip Tattoo
This placement is located inside the bottom lip, so you can only see a tattoo here when you fold down the lower lip.
Inner lip tattoos tend to be on the simplistic size because of the difficulty of tattooing in this placement. Single words and 2D designs with no shading are often the go-tos for the inner lip.
This placement is perfect if you only want to show your ink to a select few, however there are some downsides to choosing the inner lip, namely that ink here doesn’t last long.
Dermatologist, Dr. Hadley King, M.D., explained to Bustle,
“The abbreviated longevity compared to tattoos on external skin is due to the rapid turnover of skin cells in the [lining of your mouth,] which means that the ink sheds more quickly.”
This can be seen as a pro of this placement, because if you end up hating your tattoo choice, it won’t be long before it’s just a light mark.
Aftercare is pretty simple: Rinse your mouth twice a day with antibacterial, alcohol-free mouthwash. It’s also a good idea to avoid smoking and spicy food so as to not irritate your fresh tattoo.
For more on Lip Tattoos, click here.
Hip Tattoo
A tattoo placed on the hip is easy to hide, and this placement works well with larger designs as well as mini tattoos. If the tattoo design you want is on the large side but you still want to easily hide it, the hip is a great place.
For subtle ink lovers, small designs such as a small lightning bolt, flower, or single word can be perfectly inked on the hip if you’re sure you don’t want a larger design here in the future.
The area around the hips and thighs do tend to alter when it comes to weight gain, weight loss, and pregnancy, so that is something to keep in mind when deciding on your tattoo placement. Click here for more on how body fluctuations affect tattoos.
For more on Hip Tattoos, click here.
Inner Thigh Tattoo
This placement definitely adds an intense intimacy to your choice of tattoo, but getting it won’t be easy.
“The inner thigh is one of the most painful places around the thigh region to be tattooed on as it contains many nerve endings and is protected by only a thin layer of skin,”
Authority Tattoo
If you’re not keen on the pain that comes with this placement choice, you can instead get inked on the upper thigh. This area is still discreet and easy to hide, and it’s generally a less painful place to get tattooed.
For aftercare, it’s important to avoid tight jeans and pants and instead opt for loose fitting sweat pants. Friction against material can remove the scabs during the healing process.
“The skin at the thigh tattoo site often dries out more, so you can use ointments such as Bepanthen or Alantan on it,”
Ink Art By Kate
For more on Leg Tattoos, click here.
Inner Finger Tattoo
If you want a tattoo in a place where you’ll see it everyday, but most others won’t notice, the inner finger could be the perfect placement choice for you.
The inner finger is a small surface area to work with, so you can’t choose a tattoo design that is extremely detailed. Keep things simple with a single word, geometric shapes, or a heart (just a few mini ink examples).
However, because you’re constantly using your hands, inner finger tattoos do tend to fade a lot faster than other tattoo placement choices.
Tiny Tattoo Inc. explains that if you take care of your finger tattoo properly, it will only start to lose color at around six months. In most cases, it keeps its beauty and crispness for six to eight months.
For more on Finger Tattoos, click here.
Tiny Rib Tattoo
A tattoo design strategically placed high enough on your ribs can be hidden even when wearing a swimsuit. If you really never want your ink to be on display, put on the swimsuit styles you usually wear to get exactly the right hidden placement.
A rib tattoo can hurt because of the thin skin, so the needle feels really close to the bone. To reduce the pain, make sure you get a good night’s rest before your appointment, and eat a full meal beforehand so that your blood sugar is steady.
When it comes to rib tattoo ideas, some of the most popular small options include a single butterfly, a rose, or crescent moon.
For more on Rib Tattoos, click here.
Just because a tattoo is small and simplistic, it doesn’t mean you can go to an inexperienced artist. Fine lines are challenging to do – the smallest mistake is easy to see because of the lack of other details and shading.
Also, using thin skin as canvas for your new tattoo can also increase the chances that you’ll experience a blowout. This chance is decreased when you go to an experienced tattoo artist.
Tattoos don’t have to be on display – there are many placement options for those who want to keep their ink their little secret.