I know for me I would love to get a tattoo - and am quite comfortable with the commitment of a design on my body. But I am deathly afraid of needles and can barely survive a single needle at the hospital when I am forced to have it done. I would never last more than 2 minutes in a tattoo parlor

I completely accept it is a silly fear, but it is very ingrained in me. It is something I am trying to get over for obvious health reasons But I can't even prick my finger ...

I am afraid as the tattoo is made from needles. And I find it silly
also.

Hi Lisa, I am sorry you are afraid of needles, and I do not think you are silly at all. They hurt!! that is a rational fear! I do have tattoo's, the pain is NOT the same as a pin prick however.
The only way I can describe it is: It is like someone putting a lighted match to your arm and slowly running it around. It does hurt, but if you can focus on something else, like a computer game or magazine that helps a little.

Henna tats are good, but proper henna takes hours to dry and has to fall off naturally, so you need to be still for ages.
Paint on tats are absolutly fab, In my opinion, they are the best.

I also must add that I have three tattoos, and I deeply regret one of them.(I love one too )I hate it. I really wish I could have it removed, but it scars and costs loads. So one word of advice: Please paint it on first and make sure you really want it! they do not come off, and it sounds silly to reliterate that, but from personal experiance I am sad to say I wish I HAD listened to my mum!

I have 3 tattoos and while I don't regret what they are, I do regret where I go them. One is on my left wrist and I feel it doesn't look professional if I ever plan on getting a desk job somewhere.

You can always get a cover up tattoo to hide it.

Yep, True, I could BUT it is in a place I regret as well as the design. I was young and not so wise then
When I got married my vail hid it, my I was so worried I had spoilt my arm.
Also cover ups, by their very nature need to be quite dark and somewhat larger than the original. This can pose problems! I heard of a person who had a name tattooed and it was spelled wrong!! Now that must have been hard!

Depending on what the original design was, a cover up could be limiting... But, I have seen some beautiful cover ups. You couldn't even tell it used to be something else.

I did a Henna tattoo on the back of my neck and loved it. I was sad it faded quickly, though. Then again... I have no pigment in my skin... I am "the lighter shade of pale." *sigh*

The darkness of the henna depends on the oil used. But, it still looks pretty cool. :-)

I know I tend to be very sensitive to pain, even if my shirt has a tag in it I have to rip it out or it really bothers me all day long. So I think my skin is just very tender or something. But still, you're right, I need to learn to just deal with it. I am always worried that some serious health issue will come up and I will get more sick because of this "silly" fear of needles. Even when I watch House and other medical shows I have to look away when needles are being injected. I wonder if something happened when I was a child to cause this fear.