Aftercare instructions With Second-skin Bandage

If youre healing without Second-Skin bandages, start reading after bandage removal instructions

I recommend you leave the second skin applied at the appointment for between 2-4 days. During those 2-4 days you can do most things as normal. The bandage is waterproof, so you may shower as usual, but do not submerge the tattoo underwater – this includes baths, swimming, cold plunging, diving, hot tubs, don't submerge it at all! While the bandage is on, I recommend that you avoid any activities that may cause you to sweat excessively. Avoid gyms & intense workouts while wearing second skin bandaging as it can lead to the bandage falling off and increasing risk of infection. 

When you decide to remove the bandage, I recommend doing so during a warm shower. The warm water helps to loosen the adhesive a little and makes it easy to wash the tattoo right away. I recommend picking a corner of the bandage and pulling it away from itself like how you pull a command strip. If you don't want to use this method, you may also simply peel it up slowly and gently. 

I recommend washing the tattoo with a gentle, unscented soap or cleanser. Do not use medical grade pre-surgical cleansers or heavily scented products. Common examples of soaps and cleansers that you may use are CeraV gentle skin cleanser, Cetaphil gentle cleanser, Dove sensitive skin, and unscented antibacterial hand soap. Avoid using a bar of soap or a cleanser you share with someone else. 

When the tattoo is freshly washed, moisturize it with a reasonable amount of gentle unscented lotion or tattoo balm. This can include unscented CeraVe or Cetaphil lotions, unscented Jergens or Nivea, or tattoo balms like Hustle Butter or CryBaby aftercare. Do not over moisturize the tattoo and I do not recommend using Aquaphor or Vaseline. 

Repeat the wash and moisturize process 2-3 times a day from the time you take off the second skin bandage until you reach one week since you got tattooed. 

Once you begin the second week of healing, you may wash it 1-2 times a day. This can include your daily shower. I recommend doing this for weeks 2-4 of healing. Once the tattoo is fully healed, after 3-4 weeks usually, apply sunscreen to the tattoo any time you go outside. 

You may submerge the tattoo under water after 3-4 weeks. Wearing sunscreen and moisturizing regularly will keep the tattoo looking saturated and fresh. 

For any questions with aftercare, send me an email to anngearytattoos@gmail.com or go through the contact page on my website