Now that you have your new beautiful tattoo the next step is aftercare! This is an extremely important step, improper care of your tattoo during the healing phase can result in loss of color or even scaring. Tattoos don't reach its complete permanence until it is completely healed. It's important to note that Saniderm isn't for every client, there are rare cases where a client will experience sensitivity to the bandage's adhesive. A patch test is recommended prior to applying to the tattooed area.
What is Second Skin
Tattoo aftercare has evolved over the years and artists have strived to discover the most optimal healing method for tattoos. Through my years of tattooing and being tattooed Second Skin ( tegaderm) has proven to be at the top of my list for healing tattoos.
Second Skin is a medical-grade, breathable, waterproof tattoo bandage. Second Skin is engineered to be permeable to gasses, like oxygen. These bandages alleviate many of the pitfalls that come with other tattoo healing methods. Primarily, Second Skin drastically reduces the risk of contaminants entering the wound site of a fresh tattoo. Wearing Second Skin protects the area from unwanted shear/friction and allows the body to keep itself moisturized. Plus, it conveniently eliminates sessions of washing and applying aftercare to a new tattoo. The result is a tattoo healing experience that is safer, smoother, and more efficient.
How to Use Second Skin
Once the tattoo is complete the artist will dress your tattoo with a Second Skin bandage. This bandage will be left on for 24 hours.
After the 24 hour period it is recommended to remove the bandage while showering. To remove Second Skin, find an edge of the bandage and pull it back over itself in the direction of hair growth. The shower is the ideal place to remove Second Skin. Dry removal of Second Skin may cause discomfort and added trauma to the skin.
Discard the used bandage and wash the tattoo with a mild soap, preferably fragrance-free. I recommend using Dial Gold or Dr. Bronner's fragrance-free soap.
Pat tattoo dry with paper towel and allow to air dry for give minutes.
Apply second bandage and leave on skin for 5 days
After removing bandage after 5 day period using the steps above, apply a white, fragrance-free lotion. I recommend Lubriderm Daily Moisture Lotion.
Additional Aftercare Info
Do not take a bath or go swimming while the tattoo is healing- please wait a minimum of 4 weeks before doing so. Avoid submerging your tattoo. Showering is fine but do not scrub around bandage.
Avoid activities will will result in excessive sweating while wearing the bandage. Try to keep the bandage as clean and dry as possible until it’s time to remove it.
Avoid direct sunlight.
While the surface layers will appear healed after two weeks, deeper layers of the skin will continue to heal for 2 - 4 months. Please take care not to expose skin the the sun for prolong periods of time and avoid any skin trauma.
Recommended Videos
This video by Celle Est on YouTube is extremely comprehensive. I recommend giving it a view for additional information.
Aftercare sheet
Alchemy Tattoo and Gallery has a printable PDF aftercare sheet: