Second Skin
Aftercare Instructions:
- Keep the aftercare covering on for 12 to 24 hours.
- Take the aftercare covering off in the shower 100% - if you try to take it off dry, it will be very painful and can pull parts of the tattoo out.
- Wait until the end of the shower when there is lots of moisture and steam in the air. Do not hit the tattoo with direct water, just let an indirect water stream trickle down. Crack open a corner of the aftercare covering and let some water trickle in, and then slowly pull it off.
- Gently wipe away with your hand any blood, plasma or ink that has accumulated underneath the aftercare covering and let the indirect water carry it away.
- Do not towel dry the tattoo (it is too abrasive), just let it air dry. Once the tattoo is completely dry, put on the second aftercare covering.
- Leave the second piece on for 2 to 5 days.
- When you take the second piece off, do it in the shower using the same methods as the first time.
- Let it air dry completely afterward and then you can start moisturizing 2 to 3 times a day using unscented moisturizer. Too much or too little can cause issues, so just a thin layer of moisturizer when the piece is feeling tight or itchy is good. Unscented Lubriderm works well!
- Keep this up for 4 weeks.
- Do not submerge the tattoo in water for a month, so no swimming or baths. It is an infection risk. Showers are fine though, just don’t hit the tattoo with direct water - just an indirect water stream is good!
- Do not wear very tight clothing over the tattoo - it can rub the scabs off which can pull the ink out, or adhere to the scabs which results in parts of the tattoo being ripped off in some cases unfortunately.
- Do not expose your tattoo to sunlight for a month while it is healing. Once it has healed, protect it with sunscreen.
- Do not scratch the tattoo. It can disturb the scabs while it is healing and pull the ink out. If the piece is really itchy and moisturizing doesn’t help much, you can slap the tattoo instead.
- Do not work out heavily/try not to sweat excessively for the first 3 days wearing the aftercare covering. It will cause it to accumulate sweat underneath which can irritate the skin.
- Keep your sheets and pillowcase clean to prevent infection.
- Be mindful of any pets while healing and be careful that no pet hair gets caught underneath the aftercare covering during the second aftercare covering application. This is a common cause of infection.
Non-Adherent Pad
Aftercare Instructions:
- Keep the non-adherent pad on for 12 to 24 hours.
- When you remove the pad, give the piece a light rinse in the shower with indirect water (direct water is a bit too abrasive) and gently wipe away any accumulated plasma, ink and/or blood with clean fingers. Let the indirect water carry it away.
- Use a bit of unscented soap to clean the piece.
- Do not towel dry the tattoo (it is too abrasive), just let it air dry completely after your shower.
- Be extra careful with the piece for the first week (the most infection risk is during the first week) and make sure it stays clean and dry.
- If you are having issues with the piece leaking ink, blood and plasma during the night for the first few days, you can wrap a bit of clean plastic cling wrap around it at night so it won't adhere to any fabric. Just make sure that you clean the area gently with unscented soap before (and let the piece air dry after) and after applying the cling wrap.
- During the two weeks of healing, feel free to very gently wash the piece 1 - 2 times a day with unscented soap and indirect water and let the piece air dry after. Otherwise, leave the piece alone and wait several days until it starts to dry out/scab a bit.
- Once you notice the piece is starting to dry out/scab a bit, then you can start moisturizing.
- Moisturize 2 - 3 times a day using unscented moisturizer. Too much or too little can cause issues, so just a thin layer of moisturizer when the piece is feeling tight or itchy is good. You just want it to be at the same moisture level as the rest of your surrounding skin.
- Unscented Lubriderm works well!
- Keep up moisturizing 2 - 3 times a day for 3 to 4 weeks.
- Do not submerge the tattoo in water for a month, so no swimming or baths. It is an infection risk. Showers are fine though, just don’t hit the tattoo with direct water - just an indirect water stream is good!
- Do not wear very tight clothing over the tattoo - it can rub the scabs off which can pull the ink out, or adhere to the scabs which results in parts of the tattoo being ripped off in some cases unfortunately.
- Do not expose your tattoo to sunlight for a month while it is healing. Once it has healed, protect it with sunscreen.
- Do not scratch the tattoo. It can disturb the scabs while it is healing and pull the ink out. If the piece is really itchy and moisturizing doesn’t help much, you can slap the tattoo instead.
- Keep your sheets and pillowcase clean to prevent infection.
- Be mindful of any pets while healing as pet hair and scratches, etc. can be a cause of infection.