Hands are a special tattooing area, as they are always the center of attention, like the face. Therefore, if you are a bright personality who likes to attract the eyes of others, these tattoos will be perfect for you. In order to make your search easier, we have made a great study for you about hand tattoos.
So, you don’t need to spend a lot of time visiting several thousand web pages to find answers to all your questions. To be more specific, we will tell you in this article about:
- How tattoos on the hands can affect employment;
- The most trending tattoo designs on the hands today;
- How much does it cost to get a tattoo on your hands?
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How Long Do Hand Tattoos Last?
The most influential factor in fading a tattoo is the sun. The more often your tattoo is exposed to ultraviolet light, the faster it becomes faded.
Since your hands are always exposed to the sun’s rays, the tattoos on this body part fade the fastest. They are also in constant activity, which can also cause skin cells to renew themselves more often and knock the ink pigments out from underneath them.
Especially if you want to choose a tattoo design on your fingers, you should consider that it can last 6-8 months. The quality and longevity of the tattoo are also affected by your care of it and the neatness of your hands.
You should also keep in mind that the skin on your hands is very thin and has worse retention of dye pigment. This is because the ink does not go deep and can disappear much faster due to external factors like:
- Sunlight;
- High activity;
- Constant disturbance of this area of skin with water, chemicals, brushes, washcloths, etc.
How Much Do Hand Tattoos Cost?
The price of a tattoo largely depends on:
- Style of tattooing;
- The size of the tattoo design;
- The experience of the tattoo master.
Below we have listed the approximate cost of a small hand tattoo (up to 2”/5 cm) in the United States, depending on the experience of the tattoo master and the style performed.
| Style/Tattoo master’s experience | 2 years | 5 years | 10 years |
| Realism | $360.50 | $432.50 | $552.50 |
| American traditional | $160.50 | $232.50 | $352.50 |
| Japanese | $248.00 | $320.00 | $440.00 |
| Blackwork | $120.00 | $192.00 | $312.00 |
| Illustrative | $192.00 | $264.50 | $384.50 |
| Fineline | $98.00 | $170.00 | $290.00 |
Also, we have calculated for you the approximate cost of a medium hand tattoo (up to 4”/10 cm) in the United States, based on the style of tattoo design and the experience of the tattoo master who performed it.
| Style/Tattoo master’s experience | 2 years | 5 years | 10 years |
| Realism | $3,173.00 | $3,245.00 | $3,365.00 |
| American traditional | $1,173.00 | $1,245.00 | $1,365.00 |
| Japanese | $2,048.00 | $2,120.00 | $2,240.00 |
| Blackwork | $768.00 | $840.00 | $960.00 |
| Illustrative | $1,493.00 | $1,565.00 | $1,685.00 |
| Fineline | $548.00 | $620.00 | $740.00 |
On our website you can independently calculate the approximate cost of any size tattoo (small: up to 5 cm/2”; medium: 5 – 10 cm/2” – 4”; and large: 10 – 30 cm/4” – 12”) in 13 countries:
- USA;
- United Kingdom;
- Sweden;
- Spain;
- Philippines;
- Netherlands;
- Mexico;
- India;
- Germany;
- France;
- Canada;
- Brazil;
- Australia.
Best Places to Get Hand Tattoos & Pain Review
A tattoo on the hands requires special consideration before choosing it also because of the level of pain it causes both during the work on it and for some time afterward. Some artists may even refuse to give you a tattoo on this part of your body if they decide you can’t tolerate such pain.
So why do you feel such pain during tattooing?
It’s very simple:
- Lots of nerve endings (especially on your palms and fingers);
- Thin skin without an oily layer underneath (not enough cushioning to reduce the level of pain).
The most pain you may feel while getting a tattoo on your hand is on your fingertips, as there are many nerves concentrated on them. It is believed that the closer to the fingertips, the more painful the tattooing. Therefore, the most painful areas for tattoos on the hands are their central and lateral parts.
Level of pain also depends on the size of the tattoo, as the duration of the tattoo directly depends on it. If you understand that you cannot withstand a high level of pain, it is better not to start doing tattoos on your hands. You won’t be able to stop it during the session: an unfinished tattoo looks much worse than a non-existent one.
50+ Trendy Tattoo Designs
A tattoo on the hands can be made in any style and size, it all depends on your imagination. And our tattoo artists will help you to embody the most daring ideas into reality in the best way.
The most popular hand tattoo designs are:
- Roses;
- Quotes;
- Robot;
- Medusa;
- Abstraction;
- Minimalism.
Rose
Tattoo rose looks beautiful in any style, but most often this design is performed in the traditional style and realism, sometimes supplemented by lettering. Roses tattoo on the hands means:
🌹 Beauty;
🌹 Sanctity;
🌹 Love;
🌹 Passion;
🌹 Revival;
🌹 Purity.
Bones
Bones as a tattoo design are very popular for tattooing on the hands because there they look more real and even harmonious. Some people may be intimidated and even repulsed by the idea of hand tattoos, so only brave and self-confident people choose them.
A tattoo design with bones on the hands is interpreted as follows:
🦴 Lust for life;
🦴 Respect for ancestors;
🦴 Longevity;
🦴 Pricelessness of life;
🦴 An amulet against otherworldly forces;
🦴 Preservation of the human soul.
Inscriptions
Probably the most popular idea for tattoos on the hands is phrases and quotes. Such designs are more common among men, as the size of such a tattoo is preferably large (the entire hand area).
The most frequent application in such tattoos is a handwritten calligraphic script. It looks very catchy and confident on the hands. You can choose any quote, it can be:
✎ A quote from your favorite movie;
✎ Your credo for life;
✎ Phrase of your favorite actor or other celebrity;
✎ A quote from a book you like;
✎ A line from a song;
✎ The title of a favorite song or album;
✎ The name of someone important to you, etc.
Butterfly
A butterfly has always been associated with something magical, light, and positive. That is why it attracts the attention of many people wishing to get a tattoo on their hands. It is believed that it brings with it only joy and positive changes.
A tattoo with a butterfly on the hands means:
🦋 Freedom;
🦋 Rebirth;
🦋 Lightness;
🦋 Immortality;
🦋 Independence;
🦋 Desire to know secrets.
In addition to good meanings, such a tattoo design can also mean the memory of losing a loved one. But such personal meanings of the tattoo are determined for himself by its owner individually.
Eye
The eyes have always been considered the mirror of the soul, but in the case of the tattoo, it is more of an “observer” than a “reflection”. So what, then, is the real meaning behind the idea of the tattoo?
The eye tattoo has these interpretations:
👀 Wisdom;
👀 Insight;
👀 Attention;
👀 Sightedness;
👀 Purposefulness;
👀 Control;
👀 Hypersensitivity;
👀 Vigilance.
Robot
The main message of the robot tattoo on the hands is the feeling of being a machine, even partially. It does not always have a negative meaning, but can mean a certain rhythm of life, which has built a strong and facilitating machine out of man.
A hand tattoo with robot elements means:
🤖 Power;
🤖 Movement;
🤖 Development;
🤖 Resilience;
🤖 Cold Mind;
🤖 Prudence.
Medusa
The Medusa tattoo has contradictory meanings and symbolism. This design combines both human and animal beginnings, the rebirth of something beautiful and feminine into something terrible and deadly.
A tattoo with Medusa on the hands can be interpreted as:
👩 Insidiousness;
👩 The ability to stand up for oneself;
👩 Aggression;
👩 Duplicity;
👩 Cunning;
👩 Injustice;
👩 Pain;
👩 Achieving the goal no matter what the obstacles.
Minimalist
Minimalist tattoos have always been a great choice for the first tattoo, as it is the least painful option to explore the world of tattoos. Due to the great popularity of this tattoo trend now you can find many minimalist designs on various topics.
The most popular minimalist hand tattoo designs are:
★ Numbers and dates;
★ Moon;
★ Short quotes in the small print;
★ Smiley faces;
★ Eyes;
★ Snakes;
★ Daggers.
Lion
A tattoo with a lion can be found in all interpretations and styles on various skin areas. More often than not, people opt for large-scale designs with the king of animals to depict him in the most detailed and suggestive way.
A tattoo with a lion on the hands means:
🦁 Wisdom;
🦁 Respect;
🦁 Ferocity;
🦁 Leadership;
🦁 Power;
🦁 Greatness;
🦁 Justice.
Abstract
Abstract hand tattoos are a great solution for people with creative thinking and great imagination. Such tattoo designs are free in ideas and have no restrictions on appearance.
It can be as simple as lines, bends, and colored strokes, or full-fledged compositions, up to geometric illusion masterpieces. Conditionally abstract tattoos on the hands can be divided into the following types:
↝ Geometric designs;
↝ Ornaments and patterns (including tribal ones);
↝ Chaotic compositions (strokes, spots, etc.).
Branch
A tattoo with a branch on the hand has many different meanings depending on the type of plant. But in general, all tattoos of bush plants and their branches are interpreted as follows:
🌿 Desire to win;
🌿 Sadness;
🌿 Fertility;
🌿 Love of freedom;
🌿 Mentality;
🌿 Love of nature;
🌿 The beginning of a new life;
🌿 Protection.
Snake
The image of the snake has always attracted a lot of attention, starting from the ancient mythologies of various cultures. Some saw it as a symbol of danger, others as eternity, wisdom, and rebirth.
Today, a snake hand tattoo means:
🐍 Mystery;
🐍 Sexuality;
🐍 Rebirth;
🐍 Healing;
🐍 Care of nature;
🐍 Protection;
🐍 Resilience;
🐍 Success.
Swallow
The tattoo design with a swallow looks very gentle, neat, and easy. Its main meaning is maternity, so most often this tattoo idea is chosen by women.
Men stop the choice on a tattoo with a swallow, because she has always been the patroness of sailors. It was considered the leader of the sky, sea, and wind.
A tattoo with a swallow on the hand is interpreted as follows:
🐦 Freshness;
🐦 Youth;
🐦 Fertility;
🐦 Freedom;
🐦 Tenderness;
🐦 Travel.
Sun & Moon
Exploring different traditions and cultures, one can trace a particular interest in the Sun and the Moon. This is due to their mysticism and the constant changing of each other.
Therefore, it is not in vain that you can find many tattoo designs with these symbols. A tattoo with the Sun and the Moon is interpreted as harmony, balance, feminine & masculine, opposing divine forces.
A tattoo with the Sun on the hands has such a message:
🌞 Goodness;
🌞 Life;
🌞 Light;
🌞 Life energy;
🌞 Feminine.
A hand tattoo with the Moon means:
🌛 Peacefulness;
🌛 Mystery;
🌛 Magic;
🌛 Rebirth;
🌛 Masculinity.
Insights on How Hand Tattoos Affect Employment
We are ready to dispel your stereotype that a tattoo hinders employment and career advancement. Even before 2010, this was true, while now it is nothing more than a myth. Tattooing every year is becoming more relevant and more common, and the world is more tolerant.
In the modern world, there are more and more modernized enterprises, remote work, creative professions & approaches to work. All these factors have a positive effect on the employment opportunities of people with tattoos on their hands.
Summary
Hand tattoos have always been a source of controversy. On the one hand, this place is almost always not covered and the drawing will be visible to everyone. On the other hand, there are rumors that a tattoo on the hands can hinder employment.
If you have already decided that you want a tattoo on your hands, be prepared to face the complexity of choosing designs. There are an incalculable number of them.
To help you at this important stage, we have collected 50+ hand tattoo ideas, compared the cost for different styles, indicated how long it lasts, where it is better to get a tattoo on the hands, and clarified whether these designs would interfere with employment.
FAQ
🤚 Is It Normal To Get Hand Tattoos?
Hand tattoos will always attract the eyes of others. However, be prepared for the fact that this is a very painful process that requires a long healing time.
💡 Should I Consider a Hand Tattoo for My First Tattoo?
Hand tattooing is a very painful process with a long healing process, so qualified tattoo artists will discourage you from doing the first drawing on your hands.
😨 How Painful Is It To Get Hand Tattoos?
Unfortunately, tattoos on the hands are one of the most painful, as there is thin skin without fat and with a lot of nerves. Also, when choosing a design, you should understand that the closer to the fingertips, the more painful the tattoo is since most nerve endings are concentrated there.
