Neck tattoos for women: placement and coverage

What hair covers and what it does not

Hair covers a nape tattoo only if it stays down and stays that length. Think about how often you tie it up, whether you wear it up at work, and what you would do if you cut it short. A design that reaches above the hairline shows through even with hair down when you bend your head forward.

Position affects this more than size. A piece sitting low on the nape, level with the top of the shoulders, stays hidden under a collar as well as under hair. One sitting high, right under the hairline, appears every time you put your hair in a ponytail. Decide which of those two you want before the stencil goes on.

Coverage by position

• Low nape: hidden by hair down and by most collars
• High nape at the hairline: shown by any ponytail or short cut
• Side of the neck: visible in almost all clothing and every photo
• Throat: visible always, and a serious workplace decision

Pain from nape to throat

The nape is around 6 out of 10. The skin is thin but there is muscle underneath, and the vertebra at the base of the neck is the sharp part. The side of the neck climbs to 7 or 8, partly from thin skin and partly because the vibration and the sound carry straight into your ear. The throat is 8 to 9 and the swallowing reflex makes staying still hard.

Sessions here are short by necessity. An hour or two is typical, and holding your head bent forward gets uncomfortable long before your tolerance for the needle runs out. Ask for a face cradle or a stack of pillows rather than trying to hold the position yourself.

Washing your hair and other healing problems

Shampoo and conditioner run straight down over a healing nape tattoo every time you wash your hair. Rinse with the water running down your front instead, keep products off the area for two weeks, and tell your hairdresser before an appointment, because a shampoo basin puts the back of your neck directly under the tap.

Long hair catches in a fresh tattoo, sticks to the weeping surface and pulls scabs when you move. Keep it tied up and off the area for the first ten days. Collars, scarves, necklaces and the strap of a bag over that shoulder all rub too. A loose crew neck or an open collar is the easiest thing to wear.

How neck skin holds a tattoo over decades

Neck skin loses firmness earlier than skin on the arms or back, and the front and sides go first. Fine detail placed on the side of the neck at twenty five will look softer at forty five than the same design on a forearm. The nape, which is thicker and better supported, holds up considerably better.

Sun on the back of the neck is heavy in summer, especially with hair up, so sunscreen there does real work. Designs with clear shapes and a strong line survive both problems. Very fine ornamental detail on the throat is the combination that ages hardest, which is worth knowing before you commit to it.