Healing Your Tattoo
Healing your new tattoo can be a bit of a process. It can also be quite emotional, it's completely normal to have feelings of doubt, uncertainty, dislike and even regret (yep, we've all had a moment of this).
But you do need to trust the process (and your tattoo artist) and know that your tattoo will settle as it heals, leaving you feeling happy, stoked, thankful, and totally no regrets!
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While you would have received your aftercare advice in store, we have also listed it below for further reference.
And as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out.
Healing with Second Skin
During a traditional tattoo healing process; the tattooed skin secretes fluids which dries out to seal over and create a barrier (scab) to protect the wound from external factors like dirt & germs.
If we have placed a second skin on your tattoo for healing, your healing will be a little different to traditional tattoo healing.
So what even is second skin?
Second skin is a medical-grade, waterproof tattoo dressing that is gas permeable to allow your skin to breathe.
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Second skin works by locking in your body’s natural healing fluids so your tattoo stays hydrated to allow for quick and efficient healing without scabbing.
It also creates a barrier to protect your tattoo from germs, dirt, pet hair, dust etc reducing your risk of infection.
Second skin has been engineered to be gas permeable so your skin can breathe allowing oxygen to penetrate to ensure perfect healing.
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While every client & situation is different, if your second skin has filled up with fluid, you can replace your dressing at the 24hr mark.
Do this in the shower, picking at an edge, being very gentle, slowly pull the dressing adjacent to the skin, never pull directly out from the tattoo.
Once removed, wash the area with warm soapy water, rinse and pat dry with a clean towel or paper towel.
Apply a small amount of aftercare balm onto the tattoo area only, followed by applying another second skin and always remember to remove the paper first.
Once you’ve applied the second dressing, this can be worn for up to 6 days.
Second skin should not be worn for more than 7 days in total.
It is okay if your second skin dressing begins to peel off early. If this happens, remove the dressing and apply another dressing follow the instructions above.
Submerging a fresh tattoo in water of any kind is not recommended, you can however shower as per normal with an application of second skin.
It is still important to monitor the time you spend in the shower as prolonged exposure to water will weaken the adhesion, so please avoid soaking.
You can wear regular clothing but for the first week, choosing looser fitting clothing that doesn’t rub the tattooed area is best.
Once you have removed your second skin, apply a tattoo aftercare balm to keep the area moisturised. Your true healed results will be visible around week 3-4.
If you have any questions or concerns during your healing process, please reach out.