Carved in your name with a pocket knife

Dear future hubster,

there are many thins being said about tattoos - some accurate, others less so. 

They hurt, yes - don't let anyone tell you otherwise -, but some of them aren't that bad. Where they hurt more is a frequent subject of debates. Some say it's worse closer to the bone, some say it's worse wherever you're a bit fleshy. If you're fleshy closer to your bones, you might be in for some fun. 

And then there's the very philosophical discussion around when and why it hurts. 

The practicalities to decrease the physical pain are fairly simple: don't be drunk, try to be rested, don't go there hungry (you're gonna faint my friend), try to be hydrated but not too much because then you have to hold it, have something or somebody distract you, give yourself enough time.
But then the other pain, the one under your skin. Does it hurt more when it's fresh? Or does it get worse the later you treat it? Do you get your tattoos to cover up the scars; to numb your pain with a new, superficial one? Or do you get them to externalise the inner pain, hoping it would ease? Do you cover your skin to make your hidden scars visible?