The lower leg, with its relatively large surface area and the added benefit of being easily covered up, is an ideal placement for tattoos. With a lower leg tattoo, you can choose to showcase your body art whenever you like or cover it up simply by wearing pants.
This versatility is especially beneficial for those working in conservative offices that do not allow visible tattoos. Whether you opt for a shin, ankle, or calf tattoo, the lower leg can be a great location for ink.
Here’s what you need to know about lower leg tattoos before you decide to get inked:
Lower Leg Tattoo Placement
The lower leg offers a lot of space for tattoo placement, from the ankle to below the knee, including the shin (front of the leg) and calf (the muscle at the back of the leg).
When deciding on tattoo placement, consider:
- How visible you want your tattoo to be.
- How big you want your tattoo to be.
- The level of pain you’re comfortable with.
- Which placement would best suit the design you’re considering.
Lower Leg Tattoo Size Options
Consider the impact you want your tattoo to have and choose a size that fits your vision. If you want a highly detailed design, you may want to scale up the size of your tattoo in order to have enough space for all the details.
While highly detailed micro tattoos are popular, it’s important to know that these tattoos generally fade easily.
“If the tattoo has small, tight intricate details, they will be lost with time as the cells change and move. When the design is larger, there is more room for displacement and allows the design to still be readable,”
Bustle
For a small lower leg tattoo, consider going lower on the leg towards the ankle. The ankle is smaller in size compared with the rest of the lower leg, so the placement will fit the small tattoo design.
Do Lower Leg Tattoos Hurt?
Tattoos on the lower leg can be painful, but the amount of pain depends on your individual pain tolerance and the location of your tattoo.
When it comes to how much a tattoo placement will hurt, the thinner the skin and closer to the bone, the more painful the tattoo experience will be.
The more muscle and fat between the skin and the bone, generally the less pain you’ll experience. This is because there is cushioning to absorb the impact of the tattoo needle.
So, with lower leg tattoos, calf tattoos done on the sides of the lower leg or at the back will be less painful than the shin (the front of the lower leg) and the ankle.
“Your ankle bones and shin bones lie just beneath thin layers of skin, making it very painful to be tattooed in these areas. Ankle and shin tattoos usually cause severe pain. It’s about the same level of pain caused by tattooing over your rib cage,”
Healthline
Due to the nerves in the knee and the thin skin here, the closer you get to this area the more painful the tattoo could be.
Lower Leg Tattoo Design Ideas
There are so many design options for lower leg tattoos.
Some popular choices include floral patterns, geometric shapes, animal motifs, and quotes. (Self Tattoo has put together a list of 10 things to consider when choosing a tattoo design.)
Ankle Tattoo Ideas
To fit the small surface area, ankle tattoos are usually on a smaller scale. Some tiny design ideas that are perfect for the ankle include a crescent moon and stars tattoo, an ocean wave tattoo, an anklet tattoo, and a butterfly tattoo. Click below for more small ankle tattoo ideas.
Shin Tattoo Ideas
The shin or front of the lower leg is a larger surface area to work with so there’s space for a lot of details. Think of longer designs that flow with the length of the space, such as leaf and floral designs and tree tattoos.
Also, the shins are the perfect opportunity for mirror ink. No, this isn’t a tattoo of a mirror, it’s basically having a matching tattoo with yourself, as Inked Mag explains,
“That’s essentially what mirrored tattoos are – two tattoos featuring an identical or similar tattoo design, inked on opposite sides of the body.”
Calf Tattoo Ideas
Just like with the shin, the calves are ideal spaces for mirror matching ink. Some ideas for mirror ink tattoos include tarot cards, the sun and moon, and koi fish.
How To Look After A Lower Leg Tattoo
Proper aftercare is absolutely essential for a lower leg tattoo that you love and looks great for years to come.
“Aftercare plays a crucial part in a tattoo aging well. First, you have to allow the tattoo to heal properly. If a tattoo is allowed to heal properly there’s no need for a touch-up,”
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Follow your tattoo artist’s instructions for cleaning and moisturizing your tattoo, and avoid wearing tight clothing or exposing your tattoo to direct sunlight. You can’t put sunscreen on a new tattoo, so best to stay out of the sun or cover up your ink with loose clothes during the healing process.
Also, it’s important to stay away from anything that could give you an infection. Remember, a new tattoo is an open wound that is susceptible to bacteria. Avoid the gym and intense exercise, as well as the ocean, rivers and lakes, and pools and hot tubs.
In order to speed up the healing process, Saved Tattoo also recommends keeping your body well nourished,
“So, before the tattooing and during the healing process, make sure to pay attention to your diet and water intake. Focus on protein-rich foods, energizing meals, and proper water intake, with a minimum of eight glasses of water per day. This will help the body deal with the stress and ensure the ‘wound’ is healed quickly and effectively.”
Lower leg tattoos are a great way to showcase your personal style and creativity while still being able to cover up your ink in different circumstances.
Whether you want a mini tattoo on your ankle or a detailed design on your calf, make sure to do your research and take your time chatting with your chosen tattoo artist to make sure you’re choosing a tattoo you’ll love once done.
