SECOND SKIN METHOD

EG: DERMALISE, TEGADERM ETC

  • DAY ONE (Day of Tattoo): Prior to leaving the studio your artist will apply a dressing of Dermalise or Second Skin to your new tattoo.As the day and evening progress this dressing will begin to fill up with liquid. This liquid is mixture of blood, plasma and excess ink, and is almost always a dark brownish colour no matter what the colour of the tattoo. This is completely normal. Do not attempt to drain the liquid out of the dressing. Leave the dressing completely intact. If the edges of the dressing begin to lift off the skin and become annoying you may carefully trim them with sharp scissors as long as you are not trimming so much of the dressing away that it compromises the integrity of the seal. Leave this first dressing on overnight. Sometimes the amount of liquid build up can become too heavy for the dressing to hold causing the wrap to open up and leak. If the opening is only small, clean and dry the area and seal the opening with a small piece of Dermalise or Second Skin. If the opening is too large and the tattoo is exposed remove the wrap early and reapply, following the steps below.
  • DAY TWO: SLOWLY remove the initial dressing in the shower. Do this by starting at one corner of the dressing and slowly peel the dressing off staying close to the skin. If any part of the dressing feels “stuck” allow the warm shower water to run over the dressing to assist and continue to remove very slowly tiny section by tiny section. Once the dressing is removed, thoroughly but gently wash the tattoo using cleansing foam or liquid soap with warm but not hot water. Make sure the “slimy feeling” is gone. DO NOT use bar soap as it can contaminate and dry out the fresh tattoo. DO NOT use a wash cloth or sponge. After showering, gently pat dry the fresh tattoo with clean towels or paper towel. Making sure no towel fibres have been left on the tattoo. Apply a new Dermalise or Second Skin dressing to the tattoo using the film provided by your artist. Make sure the dressing covers at least 1-2 cms FURTHER than the tattoo. This will create the seal and keep the new liquid within the dressing and keep the tattoo within the clean environment. Leave this dressing on for 2 days/48hours. The dressing is waterproof so you can shower as normal but avoid fully submerging the dressing in any body of water, (bath, pool, ocean, hot tub etc) Whilst the second dressing is on, liquid will most likely still continue to form. The amount of liquid varies from person to person depending on the individual and the size and style of the tattoo. Sometimes the amount of liquid build up can become too heavy for the dressing to hold causing the wrap to open up and leak. If the opening is only small, clean and dry the area and seal the opening with a small piece of Dermalise or Second Skin. If the opening is too large and the tattoo is exposed remove the wrap early and reapply, following the steps below.
  • DAY FOUR: Remove the dressing and clean the tattoo in the shower as above with warm but not hot water. Pat dry as above. Apply new Dermalise or Second Skin dressing to the tattoo as above. Leave this dressing on for 3days/72hoursDuring the time this dressing is on the tattoo may not produce any more liquid, or you may notice the new liquid form and then dry out to look like a dark film over the tattoo. This is a normal part of the healing process.
  • DAY SEVEN: Remove the dressing and clean the tattoo in the shower as above with warm but not hot water. If your tattoo has begun to dry out at this point you may notice some of the shedding skin coming off as you remove the dressing or stuck to the Dermalise or Second Skin itself as you remove it. This is a normal part of the healing process. However if the dressing is painful to remove, slow down the process and remove it tiny section by tiny section under the running water. Pat dry as above. You do not need to apply another dressing.
  • AFTER DERMALISE: For the following week wash your tattoo twice a day or if it becomes dirty for any reason. Apply a small amount of a gentle unscented moisturiser to the tattoo morning and night every day until the dryness of the tattoo is gone and skin feels like the surrounding skin again. After these 2 weeks the tattoo is mostly healed, however it takes a full 4-6 weeks for the tattoo to be completely healed and settled. This may take longer if the tattoo has experienced a rough heal. Once your tattoo is healed we recommend regular moisturising and sunscreen use over your tattoo when in the sun to protect it and avoid fading.

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • Discontinue use of any product if irritation occurs. If any redness occurs around the outside of a Dermalise or Second Skin dressing discontinue use and resume the traditional healing method.
  • If you are allergic to Bandaids or adhesive on the skin do not use the Dermalise or Second Skin method of healing.
  • Please follow all instructions given to you by your artist, failing to do so may lead to a poor heal or an infection.
  • Tattoos are in essence an open wound and as such, although it is rare, there is always a chance that a tattoo may get an infection or that there may be an allergic reaction.
  • If you believe your tattoo may be infected, or that your healing process is out of the normal, please contact the studio, or Dan directly.