Which does hurt worse; a jellyfish sting or being tattooed? That's a pretty good question, and while most of you are not asking that exact question (or at least not staying up late worried about it) many of you are asking or have asked how badly being tattooed hurts. Well you've come to this site for more information, and we intend to help you find it.

As you may have noticed, the question most people ask is not, "Did that hurt?" but rather, "How bad did that hurt?" The truth of tattooing is unavoidable, it is a process that involves pain, but many find the pain a worthy trade off for the piece of beautiful art they will then possess forever. Others actually find, in that pain of being tattooed, a mental or spiritual journey. The journey begins with the tattoo and sometimes continues long after. But regardless of your spiritual outlook on tattoos and the art of tattooing, it is you skin being pierced by a needle many many times. Guess what, the pain comes with it.

So if you've come to grips with the fact that there is some level of pain associated with tattooing, let's look at what type of pain it is. There are two major types of pain, nociceptive and neuropathic.

Nociceptive (Tissue) Pain: Nociceptive pain results from tissue damage. Your nerves due their job and report that somewhere on your body you are experiencing some level of damage, and pain is experienced. Nociceptive pain can be experienced as sharp, dull, or aching. There may be radiation (spreading) of the pain beyond the actual area which is being affected, but it is a pain generally localized to the actual site of origin. In other words, if you are being tattooed on your left shoulder, most often it will be just your left shoulder letting you know something is going on. Also, nociceptive pain is generally responsive to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, meaning before and after your tattoo a couple Tylenol will help ease the symptoms.

Neuropathic (Nerve) Pain: Neuropathic pain may occur when there is either damage to or dysfunction of nerves in the peripheral or central nervous system. Faulty signals are sent to the brain and experienced as pain. Neuropathic pain can be either peripheral (outside the central nervous system) or central in origin. Neuropathic pain frequently coexists with nociceptive pain. Examples include trauma that damages tissue and nerves, burns (that burn skin as well as nerve endings), and external nerve compression. In other words, neuropathic pain affects the nerves and nervous system and generally radiates out along the entire "path" of nerves being effected. Neuropathic pain is often described as having a burning or electrical quality. It may feel like a shock or lightning bolt and this type of pain is usually unresponsive to what we think of as common pain relief medication.

So if you aren't bored to tears, here's the answer: A jellyfish sting and a tattoo will both hurt, but a jellyfish's toxin is a neurological toxin which means it can make your whole body hurt all over at the same time. A tattoo on the other hand will be painful, but only in one area of your body and only as long as you are being tattooed. So which is worse? I'll let you decide.