Tegaderm/Saniderm/Tatuderm healing process

[polliwog]

I had a bit of peeling, too, and I was able to get a couple more days out of my -derm by just cutting off the peeling edges. Only because removing it was a pain in the ass.

[OutOfIdeas]

I might give that a try, I think there will still be plenty of buffer zone between the edge of the derm and the tattoo. Thanks!

[InMyHeadAche]

I'm using Tegaderm for the first time for my new tattoo. I followed Killercook76's steps..I got tattooed yesterday, waited 2 hours to wash the tattoo, re-wrapped, washed again in the morning and applied the tegaderm. My tattoo is still weeping a little bit of ink. When I applied the Tegaderm in the morning, it was basically dry. My question is should I keep it on for the first 3 days like he says, or do I need to put on a new set? If anyone could help me out I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

[SeeSea]

My question is should I keep it on for the first 3 days like he says, or do I need to put on a new set? If anyone could help me out I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

I have not used this yet but I've read this thread. Unless someone chimes in, leave it on. People in this thread have talked about walking around with a puddle in there, and only taking steps when it got pretty significant or had big concerns about leakage. So I'd say leave it on unless the volume gets concerning then come back and ask again.

[DC91AAO]

I had used tegaderm for a piece on my leg a few months back. The tattoo had some heavy shading so keep that in mind. The tegaderm was applied right after cleaning when it was finished. I had left it on for a day. There was a good bit of plasma/blood/ink buildup so I took it off to clean it after 24 hrs. I replaced it with a new tegaderm and left it on for about two days. After that I removed it and returned to regular cleaning regiment. (wash with opticide 2-3 times a day and apply a small amount of moisturizer afterwards) For some reason it still scabbed up heavily. This tattoo was right above the knee. This may have played a role in the healing process. Everyone heals differently I guess though. This is just my experience. Hope it helps

[herbelina]

Hello to all. My tattoo is a week old and do not see any inflammation, but on one side on my tendon sits slightly bulbous outline, I see that has not peeled there. do you think that everything looks normal and if this swelling will go away when peeled and contour there. if you think there is a problem how to proceed?

[Pleadco]

I've used it for several tattoos/ sessions at this point. there are a few things that work best for me for the issues above.

For the peeling edges, I would cut the peeling flap off, then place a fresh piece overlapping it.

Fluid will build up from the tattoo/sweat/etc. This will eventually dry, and it hasn't hurt my tattoos. If the fluid becomes excessive though, you can either poke a hole or lift an edge for drainage, then cover the hole/edge with another piece.

If at all possible I would leave the derm over the tattoo for 4 days, and not replace it. Taking it off halfway through may expose it to germs, increasing healing time. Some people may heal faster or slower, which will effect the coverage time.

Tatuderm recommends 4 days, which is perfect for me, but I've seem some recommending longer.

[herbelina]

I've used it for several tattoos/ sessions at this point. there are a few things that work best for me for the issues above.

For the peeling edges, I would cut the peeling flap off, then place a fresh piece overlapping it.

Fluid will build up from the tattoo/sweat/etc. This will eventually dry, and it hasn't hurt my tattoos. If the fluid becomes excessive though, you can either poke a hole or lift an edge for drainage, then cover the hole/edge with another piece.

If at all possible I would leave the derm over the tattoo for 4 days, and not replace it. Taking it off halfway through may expose it to germs, increasing healing time. Some people may heal faster or slower, which will effect the coverage time.

Tatuderm recommends 4 days, which is perfect for me, but I've seem some recommending longer.

is that refer to my case or ..?

[Pleadco]

Negative sir, was referring to the tegaderm related questions.

Edit: @herbelina I don't see anything wrong with your tattoo. Just be patient, don't mess with it, and I'm sure it will be fine.

Double edit: please refer to number 4. http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-advice/3615-lst-tattoo-advice-commandments.html

[herbelina]

yes, its a lot better now. i started to use aloe vera, i just squeezing the liquid from the plant on my tattoo, and for just 24 hours the raised outlines almost gone..

[lcolpitts]

I think alot of people over estimate the sterilization powers of hand washing with tap water and antibacterial soap. Clean does not equal sterile.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

That's actually a really good point! I'm a nursing student and we have clear procedures that are "clean" technique and "sterile" technique. Sterile implies that you haven't just washed your hands, you also have sterile glove that are put on in a specific way directly from a sealed package. That being said, people can only do what they can at home. I know there are sterile procedures at the hospital that can be taught for people to do at home, but at home we can only teach them clean procedure. So, though not perfect, as long as people's hands are clean it's probably fine to be as clean as possible.

[AnnaRose]

Hi! I was wondering if I could get some help or advice from someone about Tegaderm?

I got my tattoo yesterday at 2pm and I did the normal wash when I got home then I applied a non-adhesive dressing and went to sleep. When I woke up there was ink residue on the dressing so I washed the tattoo gently in the shower again and waited for it to dry before I applied a little bepanthen. I waited half an hour before applying the Tegaderm film at 10am (at this point it has been 18 hours after I got the tattoo). Its 12pm now and I just checked it and there is excess ink filling up in the film.

This is my first tattoo and i'm worried the excess build up of ink will inhibit the tattoo from healing properly. What should I do?

there is a before and after photo attached.

Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you :)

[Swifty]

So I healed my lion arm tattoo with tegaderm for 4 days and everything went super smooth, almost done shedding skin now.

It was my first tattoo so I babied the shit out of it and stressed out over every tiny detail like a new parent with his kid.

I live with 2 heavily tattoo'ed people(wife and her father), neither of which used Tegaderm so I had to deal with plenty of eye rolling everytime I asked dumb questions.

• Friday: I was originally tattooed on Oct 10th, got home, cleaned up, applied Aquaphor, rewrapped and went to bed.
  
• Saturday: Woke up all gunky and juicy, cleaned up, applied a thin layer of Aquaphor and applied tegaderm.
  
  Protip: don't do that. The aquaphor prevents it from sticking properly so basically only the outter edges where it was applied to non-tattooed skin stuck, the rest filled up with yummy juices until it just kept leaking out from everywhere due to the Aquaphor acting as an awesome sauce lubricant to make the Tegaderm unstick.

  
  

• Sunday: I decided to take it off in the shower since it was a leakfest and the area was compromised since the seal was broken in a couple spots. Washed it again and reapplied a fresh layer of Tegaderm.
  
• Monday: All good, tattoo is warm to the touch, bit of juicyness, pretty irritated and sensitive.
  
• Tuesday: Still good, no leaks, a bit less juices, not too sensitive.
  
• Wednesday: No longer hot to the touch, feels really tight. Around 9PM, the elbow/ditch is killing me from the Tegaderm sticking to the skin & being tight when bending it and whatnot, can't take it anymore, hop in the shower and begin the removal process.
  
  9:05PM: Wow, that is sticky.

  
  

  9:20PM: Holy Amaze Balls of sticky awesomeness that shit was fun times. Ugh, lots of soap, lots of water, wOo wee. Oh hai, there's a lion face on this sticky film of doom.

  
  

• Thursday: All good, still a bit tender, starting to peel, I just kept reapplying Aquaphor and wearing my shirt sleeve as a nasty 2nd skin layer. Bleurgh.
  
• Friday: Feels much better today, switched to Lubriderm.
  
• Today(following Thursday): Been using Lubriderm ever since and it's almost done peeling now, healed like a baws, no scabs, no nasties. Looks just like when I left the studio. It doesn't really itch... I don't know if that's going to come or if somehow the Tegaderm made me skip that stage but I only just get the occasional itch every couple hours, rub it a little and it's done.
  

Honestly I'm going to use Tegaderm again once I go back in on Nov 7th and will update again once I peel it off. I'll definitely skip the whole aquaphor+tegaderm bullshit though, that sucked... made the 2nd application a bit sucky since there were no natural juices in there to keep it moist and prevent it from getting too tight. I have to say too, applying that shit on a joint is no joke... the ditch & area that bulges out when you bend your arm were fun times, after a couple days I felt pretty irritated in those spots. It would definitely be amazing if it was applied to a flat area though, I honestly couldn't feel any of the film on my bicep/triceps area, the elbow is where all the fun was happening.

Anyways, hope this helps people who are considering it, I'm sure the old method works just as well, it's tried and true but this process made healing so much easier, I basically didn't really have to worry about it for 4 days, no gunking up shirts, no having to wash/reapply and wake up to nasty bed sheets. As a first time tattooed person, it made the obsessing over everything a bit easier to deal with.

Here are fresh and healed pictures, the angle, contrast and quality of the pictures are quite a bit different but hopefully this helps too:

[edenkid]

I just had a fantastic healing experience with a slight variation on the tegaderm process

I was told by my artist to wash the tattoo as normal the night of the tattoo, put no cream or a&d on it - just pat dry / air dry and leave it with nothing on. Same deal the next morning and once it's dry "apply tegaderm, take off after 3 days and it will be healed"

Sounded way to good to be true . The problem was I couldn't purchase tegaderm so I followed the above instructions however the first 24-30 hours of the tattoo being covered was with a non-adhesive wound dressing/patch. Once I finally found a pharmacy with tegaderm I swapped the non-adhesive patch for tegaderm

I left the tegaderm on for a further 2.5 days,so probably 4 days in total

I was a little bit worried because in the change over between patches I noticed the line work was slightly raised (extremely light) before placing the tegaderm on. So I was totally paranoid that when I lifted the tegaderm off it may pull these lines out.

Anyway, when I took the tegaderm off my tattoo basically looked like a bright, 3-4 week healed tattoo. What peeling there was (and bear in mind this was only a 4 day old tattoo) was so light it wasn't even noticeable at all even to me ... There was ZERO scanning, not even light, and ZERO itching

Basically I feel like I skipped the whole healing process and I'm now of course putting in mouisterizer but it barely seemed necessary

And my tattoo is now exactly 7 days old. Incredible results

Not sure if it's something to do with the luck of the method I used (due to not being able to get tegaderm straight away) but next time I'll get tegaderm ready before getting inked and go straight to that as instructed by the artist. It was too nerve racking applying/removing the tegaderm to an already healing tattoo - next time will prefer to put it on the morning after and let it works it's magic

Seems kinda freakish lol maybe I lucked out or this product is insanely good

[edenkid]

I'm also wondering if my initial application of the non-stick patch helped because this would have been in the period where the tattoo was leaking - so perhaps it was more effective for that and then the tegaderm came in when it was nice and non-leaky.

In any case cannot believe the results - the tattoo had Healed perfectly after 4-5 days & def no touch up required r

[LanaZellner]

I've used Tegaderm for four of my more recent tattoos .... and I have a pretty dramatic love/hate relationship with it.

I love that I can feel like I don't have a giant open wound on my body, and that I am not leaking ink all over my sheets at night... but I hate that it never seems to stick properly on areas of increased movement (neck, wrists, elbow ditch). The only truly successful Tegaderm experience I have had was on my thigh, where the tattoo had a lot of space around it and the Tegaderm could get a solid seal around the edges. All other locations, it started to peal up at the edges after it was on for a couple days -OR- my skin would start to get irritated from having it pull my skin around as my body moved (ditch). Both times, I ended up just taking it off and doing a traditional lotion/washing healing method after a couple days.

Honestly, even though I rarely stuck through a whole week of healing with Tegaderm, it was kind of nice to use for even just a few days. I liked having it on when the tattoo was the most sensitive and awkward in my clothes.

[Killercook76]

I've used Tegaderm for four of my more recent tattoos .... and I have a pretty dramatic love/hate relationship with it.

I love that I can feel like I don't have a giant open wound on my body, and that I am not leaking ink all over my sheets at night... but I hate that it never seems to stick properly on areas of increased movement (neck, wrists, elbow ditch). The only truly successful Tegaderm experience I have had was on my thigh, where the tattoo had a lot of space around it and the Tegaderm could get a solid seal around the edges. All other locations, it started to peal up at the edges after it was on for a couple days -OR- my skin would start to get irritated from having it pull my skin around as my body moved (ditch). Both times, I ended up just taking it off and doing a traditional lotion/washing healing method after a couple days.

Honestly, even though I rarely stuck through a whole week of healing with Tegaderm, it was kind of nice to use for even just a few days. I liked having it on when the tattoo was the most sensitive and awkward in my clothes.

a week? I keep mine on for 2 to 3 days max with amazing healing results. I do agree in certain areas it's more difficult to apply correctly but well worth the effort. Haven't had any scabs since using it.

[Swifty]

Yeah I've had the same issue with my ditch last time and this time around, trying to make a seal around the shoulder/armpit is damn near impossible... this thing is leaking from everywhere. Everytime I move my arm, it pushes air into the top of the shoulder so I've got air bubbles floating around in there... I've given up on trying to contain the leaks on this one... hoping it'll be fine in a couple days cause there's no way I could pull this thing off right now... it'd be like pulling skin off a fresh sunburn.

The first one healed amazingly so I'm hoping for similar results, even with all the leakage and air on this one.

[outrenthome]

Hi!

I got my tattoo last Saturday, November 15, and my artist used Saniderm on it (This is my very first tattoo of my life, I decided to go big or go home lol). I still have not been able to take a picture of my back with Saniderm because I just have a hard time twisting my back (It's painful!) but I will try to take a picture of the tattoo covered with Saniderm tonight using a mirror. The picture I posted is from 10 minutes after the tattoo was completed. So he applied Saniderm 15 minutes after completing the tattoo. This started leaking ink and blood everywhere and I had to use two layers of clothing to prevent it from messing up my bed that night. Then the day after I went back to the tattoo shop to take it out, get cleaned, and replace it with another new Saniderm cover. This time there have been no leaks so far. Today is the 4th day of my tattoo and my Saniderm is still sticking.

Here is my question:

1) Can I leave it on for as long as I can? I was thinking of even keeping it on until next Satuday (That would make 6 days of covering)

2) Do you use any cream on top of the film or do you just leave it on and do nothing?

3) I was given a couple of sanitizing/moisturizing cream jars by my artist. I guess I will have to start using them after I take my tattoo off. How often would you use it in a day?

4) Also, how long will it take to stop feeling tender? I can't wait to go back to the gym!

Thank you for your help!

[Killercook76]

Hi!

I got my tattoo last Saturday, November 15, and my artist used Saniderm on it (This is my very first tattoo of my life, I decided to go big or go home lol). I still have not been able to take a picture of my back with Saniderm because I just have a hard time twisting my back (It's painful!) but I will try to take a picture of the tattoo covered with Saniderm tonight using a mirror. The picture I posted is from 10 minutes after the tattoo was completed. So he applied Saniderm 15 minutes after completing the tattoo. This started leaking ink and blood everywhere and I had to use two layers of clothing to prevent it from messing up my bed that night. Then the day after I went back to the tattoo shop to take it out, get cleaned, and replace it with another new Saniderm cover. This time there have been no leaks so far. Today is the 4th day of my tattoo and my Saniderm is still sticking.

Here is my question:

1) Can I leave it on for as long as I can? I was thinking of even keeping it on until next Satuday (That would make 6 days of covering)

2) Do you use any cream on top of the film or do you just leave it on and do nothing?

3) I was given a couple of sanitizing/moisturizing cream jars by my artist. I guess I will have to start using them after I take my tattoo off. How often would you use it in a day?

4) Also, how long will it take to stop feeling tender? I can't wait to go back to the gym!

Thank you for your help!

I would take it off right now!! Longest I kept mine on for was 3 days. I usually keep it on for about 2.5 days and my tattoos come out perfectly.

No lotion on top or under the derm.

Just take it off then air dry for a while like a day or so. Then start with the lotion.

[CABS]

My tattooer gave me tegaderm for the first time. So stoked. I totally forgot I had it on it. This is the best.

[omeletta]

@outrenthome From what I read here, people leave it on 2-6 days. I think I left mine on for four or five days because I felt like the tegaderm was protecting the area quite well and allowed me to almost forget about the tattoo. Doing so seemed perfectly fine.

As others said, no lotion under or on top of the derm. You'll need the lotion once you've taken the derm off. I'm no expert, but I'd say whenever it feels like it needs it, a couple of times a day. Just remember, thin layer of lotion only.

[CABS]

I noticed when taking off the Tegaderm, that some of my tattoo was on the leftover film. However, my tattoo looks perfectly intact. I even pulled it off very slowly in the hot shower.

Confused, but not too concerned.

[Killercook76]

I noticed when taking off the Tegaderm, thasome of my tattoo was on the leftover film. However, my tattoo looks perfectly intact. I even pulled it off very slowly in the hot shower.

Confused, but not too concerned.[/QUOT

yeah it happens . I'm guessing it's just some dead skin mixed with some ink etc. Totally normal for me and never compromised my tattoo.

[CABS]

yeah it happens . I'm guessing it's just some dead skin mixed with some ink etc. Totally normal for me and never compromised my tattoo.

Thanks bud for the confirmation!