Tegaderm/Saniderm/Tatuderm healing process

[MoistTowelette]

Hmm, surely waiting for long periods is kind of counter productive if you're wanting to use -derm products. It's certainly not normal practice where -derm is used in a medical setting, in fact it's not something I've ever come across.

As I understand it the first 24-48 hours are the most crucial in getting a good heal on a tattoo. The more often one washes and re-wraps before applying the -derm the more the skin is irritated and the more the healing is disturbed and slowed. It's not just excess ink, plasma and bacteria that are being washed away it newly formed cells too.

I wash well after 3-4 hours and apply the -derm on well air dried skin. No cream. No extra washes and re-wraps. After 3x 24 hours I removed the -derm, wash well, air dry and re-apply. Removing on day 6 or 7 as I see the skin going flakey under the dressing. Tattoo healed, first peel done.

for small sessions and bangers i would agree with you, but for large scale pieces the pooling can be quite severe and can cause HUGE water blisters. i have seen nothing but good results when applying the derm the day after.

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I have found that the pieces with color have more buildup than all black ones do.my Jess & Sam shaw pieces did'nt have any buildup ,but my gibson piece did it a lot.

for those 3 pieces I put the saniderm on within minutes of getting the tattoo.

i agree totally.

[Bigboy67]

Well, I had to pull my bandage a few hours early due to an early day tomorrow. had it bandaged exactly 64 hours.

Feels amazing. Zero scabbing. Skin completely smooth. I've just never had a tattoo heal like this before. Usually on day 3 after being tattooed I'm full on in the midst of scabbing, harshing my skin with Dial soap, and obsessively washing, aquaphor, repeat. It was amazing to actually forget I had just gotten tattooed.

I'm still interested to see how long the "sunburn" phase of the heal and how it heals completely, but I'm pretty impressed so far. I just wish I had this amazing healing experience with a better tattoo, haha. But this old garbage tattoo needed a little reblast... At least now I know for the future so when we go in to lay in skin tones I'll heal it the exact same way again, honestly I don't think I'll ever heal a tattoo another way.

For those wondering, here's my exact protocol in one summary (sorry for all the dumb and very exact info, but people are gonna ask):

1. Tattooing ended at 7pm Friday.

2. Friday - 8pm - An hour after tattooed, scrap old bandage, wash, and air dry.

3. Friday - 8:05pm - Re wrap with plastic wrap, leave on overnight til morning.

4. Saturday - 5am - pulled plastic wrap, washed, air dried, and Applied Tegaderm, left on for 2.5 days (64 hours to the minute).

5. Monday - 9pm - Pull Tegaderm off (in shower under hot soapy water... VERY easy, not painful at all)

6. Monday - 9:05pm - Wash , air dry, and immediate begin "lotion protocol" for the next week or so.

Here's a couple quick pics I just snapped 3 days and 5 hours after being tattooed (sorry for bad angles and quality, took these quickly with iPhone)

[Killercook76]

for small sessions and bangers i would agree with you, but for large scale pieces the pooling can be quite severe and can cause HUGE water blisters. i have seen nothing but good results when applying the derm the day after.

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yeah true about the collection of fluids . My cobra was kinda big (full ribs). That's why I suggest putting it on the morning after. Otherwise you will get the pooling of fluids.

i agree totally.

My cobra tattoo I got which was a decent size (full ribs). It worked out fine.. I did get the pooling of fluids thats why I suggest putting it on the morning after.

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Well, I had to pull my bandage a few hours early due to an early day tomorrow. had it bandaged exactly 64 hours.

Feels amazing. Zero scabbing. Skin completely smooth. I've just never had a tattoo heal like this before. Usually on day 3 after being tattooed I'm full on in the midst of scabbing, harshing my skin with Dial soap, and obsessively washing, aquaphor, repeat. It was amazing to actually forget I had just gotten tattooed.

awesome!! Looks like it worked out fine. Yeah that redness will go away soon. I start peeling really fast after then usually finish the heavy peeling in the first week or so. Then it's just a little dry. Yeah absolutely no scabs and the flakes or dead skin isn't so rough.

I'm still interested to see how long the "sunburn" phase of the heal and how it heals completely, but I'm pretty impressed so far. I just wish I had this amazing healing experience with a better tattoo, haha. But this old garbage tattoo needed a little reblast... At least now I know for the future so when we go in to lay in skin tones I'll heal it the exact same way again, honestly I don't think I'll ever heal a tattoo another way.

For those wondering, here's my exact protocol in one summary (sorry for all the dumb and very exact info, but people are gonna ask):

1. Tattooing ended at 7pm Friday.

2. Friday - 8pm - An hour after tattooed, scrap old bandage, wash, and air dry.

3. Friday - 8:05pm - Re wrap with plastic wrap, leave on overnight til morning.

4. Saturday - 5am - pulled plastic wrap, washed, air dried, and Applied Tegaderm, left on for 2.5 days (64 hours to the minute).

5. Monday - 9pm - Pull Tegaderm off (in shower under hot soapy water... VERY easy, not painful at all)

6. Monday - 9:05pm - Wash , air dry, and immediate begin "lotion protocol" for the next week or so.

Here's a couple quick pics I just snapped 3 days and 5 hours after being tattooed (sorry for bad angles and quality, took these quickly with iPhone)

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awesome!! Looks like it worked out fine. Yeah that redness will go away soon. I start peeling really fast after then usually finish the heavy peeling in the first week or so. Then it's just a little dry. Yeah absolutely no scabs and the flakes or dead skin isn't so rough.

[Bigboy67]

Wednesday - 6am - noticed this morning when I woke up that I had begun the full on "sunburn peel" stage of the healing process

Here's a real dry shot right before moisturizing

[slayer9019]

Wednesday - 6am - noticed this morning when I woke up that I had begun the full on "sunburn peel" stage of the healing process

Here's a real dry shot right before moisturizing

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Damn you got some good results right there, looks a lot better than my leg at the moment. I forgot to grab some Tegaderm from Garver when I left my session, and I can't seem to find it anywhere locally.

[Bigboy67]

@slayer9019 you can buy it on Amazon with pretty fast shipping. But any medical supply place should have it, and I think even Walgreens and rite aids have it too, maybe ask the pharmacist? Tegaderm is really widely used in the medical profession so it should be easy enough to find.

Or of you know anybody that's a nurse, doctor, etc you could just have them being home some from the hospital, of course that's the ultimate hookup!

I'm gonna be praising this method for a long time to come. Might just buy a roll of it to have for the long haul. Just the fact that you really don't have to think of the new tattoo, obsess on the cleanliness, etc makes it worth it, but the speed and quality of the healing? Damn son!

[Killercook76]

Damn you got some good results right there, looks a lot better than my leg at the moment. I forgot to grab some Tegaderm from Garver when I left my session, and I can't seem to find it anywhere locally.

Hahaha! I'm the one who gave those to garver! I'm happy to see he's giving them out and spreading the word. @slayer9019 buy them from ebay. I found it to be the cheapest site. I usually pick up the 4X4 size. I think 50 sheets is like 25 dollars.

@Bigboy67 the healing is going well ? I see that most of the peeling is gone and it just looks kinda dry. Far from the scaly peeling which i usually get from regular aftercare.

[Bigboy67]

@slayer9019. I got the 6"x8" box of 10 for 28.95, and in picking up the 4" x 4" box of 50 for 29.97, both on amazon. Prices are the same as eBay or real close. For me, I sort of tripped out buying sterile bandages off some dude on eBay. Not saying it's a bad idea, just felt funny in my little brain so I decided to get it through amazon instead

@Killercook76 it's healing great. Thursday - 8am - here is a quick up close pic of the healing. I basically went through the entire sunburn peeling process in about 24 hours. Almost all peeling is done, and you can see I've moved onto the shiny lizard skin phase, with a little sunburn peeling sill left to go. Healing great. Still never got a scab, and that hasn't happened for me with various other methods over my last at least 10 tattoo sessions, so I don't think I'll ever use anything else again. The deal on the 4 x 4 patches works out to be a much better deal than the 6x8 patches

[Bigboy67]

***Sorry for the shitty pics***

[Bigboy67]

Be careful buying Tegaderm on eBay for one other reason too, some of the ones being sold there are expired. Does it really matter? I don't know. But when I don't know I don't use it on a fresh wound lol

[Killercook76]

@slayer9019. I got the 6"x8" box of 10 for 28.95, and in picking up the 4" x 4" box of 50 for 29.97, both on amazon. Prices are the same as eBay or real close. For me, I sort of tripped out buying sterile bandages off some dude on eBay. Not saying it's a bad idea, just felt funny in my little brain so I decided to get it through amazon instead

@Killercook76 it's healing great. Thursday - 8am - here is a quick up close pic of the healing. I basically went through the entire sunburn peeling process in about 24 hours. Almost all peeling is done, and you can see I've moved onto the shiny lizard skin phase, with a little sunburn peeling sill left to go. Healing great. Still never got a scab, and that hasn't happened for me with various other methods over my last at least 10 tattoo sessions, so I don't think I'll ever use anything else again. The deal on the 4 x 4 patches works out to be a much better deal than the 6x8 patches

I hear you but my packages were sealed plus the individual pieces are wrapped . Anyways happy to hear it's going well!!

[Bigboy67]

@Killercook76 do you buy from a specific eBay seller or do you just deal hunt?

Friday @8am - completely done with the sunburn peel and skin is looking lizard-riffic !!! Here's a quick pic from this AM (pre-lotion, so very very dried out)

[Killercook76]

@Killercook76 do you buy from a specific eBay seller or do you just deal hunt?

Friday @8am - completely done with the sunburn peel and skin is looking lizard-riffic !!! Here's a quick pic from this AM (pre-lotion, so very very dried out)

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No not really whoever is cheapest! If they have a good rating! They are individually packaged and sealed so I don't see why it would be a problem. Yeah you will see that it will take an extra few days or so then normal to completely heal but it's worth it in many ways. Especially no scabs and super easy aftercare!!! There are a lot of people who don't want to use this but they will jump on the wagon soon enough !! Haha

[finkster702]

Oh no, no need to change that. Well worth adding a patch to the edge if you think it might leak out a particular place but it doesn't really look like there's much fluid there at all.

If the sterile environment under the -derm is breached, and only then, should you ever change early. Otherwise it's just a pointless disruption to the healing process. It's designed to be left on for up to a week in a clinical setting - 3 days is the minimum.

(Oh, should have said that although I'm only recently using it on my tattoos I've used it a lot at work over the years)

So, I've been using -derm for awhile now, and it obviously works faster on my black and grey tattoos, i just got a 12 hour session and its half b/g and half saturated color. the black and grey is healed but the color has ALOT of buildup. its been 4 days now and I've changed it every 24 hrs (which isn't the way i usually do it but was trying something a friend told me) but the buildup is worse the 3rd day, is it ok to let it sit in plasma if its ALOT?

Thanks

[Killercook76]

So, I've been using -derm for awhile now, and it obviously works faster on my black and grey tattoos, i just got a 12 hour session and its half b/g and half saturated color. the black and grey is healed but the color has ALOT of buildup. its been 4 days now and I've changed it every 24 hrs (which isn't the way i usually do it but was trying something a friend told me) but the buildup is worse the 3rd day, is it ok to let it sit in plasma if its ALOT?

Thanks

Hi

well when I use it I wait until the next morning to put it on. Until then I rewrap it ..That way you will not get all that buildup of plasma.. You may get some but nothing major.

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also when i put it on I don't change it at all.. leave on for 3 days.

[finkster702]

Hi

well when I use it I wait until the next morning to put it on. Until then I rewrap it ..That way you will not get all that buildup of plasma.. You may get some but nothing major.

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also when i put it on I don't change it at all.. leave on for 3 days.

usually i do also but this has a bunch of buildup so i felt the need to change it. my question is, because its been almost 4 days already, is it ok to let it sit in the plasma if its alot of it?

[Killercook76]

usually i do also but this has a bunch of buildup so i felt the need to change it. my question is, because its been almost 4 days already, is it ok to let it sit in the plasma if its alot of it?

Honestly don't know.. The thing I do know is plasma shouldn't be a problem after the first 24 hours.. That is just my experiences. I've never had plasma for more than 24 hours or so..

good luck

[HettyKet]

So, I've been using -derm for awhile now, and it obviously works faster on my black and grey tattoos, i just got a 12 hour session and its half b/g and half saturated color. the black and grey is healed but the color has ALOT of buildup. its been 4 days now and I've changed it every 24 hrs (which isn't the way i usually do it but was trying something a friend told me) but the buildup is worse the 3rd day, is it ok to let it sit in plasma if its ALOT?

Thanks

I take it there are no signs of infection?

My guess would be that the plasma still building up after this amount of time 'cause your lightly traumatizing the tattooed skin each day by ripping the -derm off, washing and re-applying. I think you really, really just need to leave it alone for a couple of days under the -derm and hope you've not caused any damage. Changing the dressing every 24 hours totally defeats the object of using -derm in the first place, I dread to think of the state my (irritable, sensitive) skin would be in if I did that! But yes, as a general rule, letting a wound sit in plasma is A Good Thing.

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I've never had plasma for more than 24 hours or so..

I think people do differ but to my mind 3 days is a long, long time to still be leaking. I did re-wrapping with my first couple of pieces and definitely still had plasma leakage at this point - I took it as my skin making a clear protest at being messed about with so much. That's one of the reasons I now use -derm...

[Bigboy67]

I definitely agree with waiting. A SOLID 12 hours before applying -derm.... Then leave it on for the full 72 hours.

I had plenty of buildup in some spots, no biggy, healing just fine, while point of the -derm products is kind of a "set it and forget it" kind of aftercare, I probably would've went with an alternative/old school healing program instead of re-derming every day.

Sorry, I know this is a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking at this point. How did you end up healing?

[finkster702]

I definitely agree with waiting. A SOLID 12 hours before applying -derm.... Then leave it on for the full 72 hours.

I had plenty of buildup in some spots, no biggy, healing just fine, while point of the -derm products is kind of a "set it and forget it" kind of aftercare, I probably would've went with an alternative/old school healing program instead of re-derming every day.

Sorry, I know this is a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking at this point. How did you end up healing?

It makes more sense to not change it everyday. I healed fine. i took it off the next morning(4 days total) and got a tiny scab at the bottom and im good to go. back at the gym in 8 days.

Thank you for everyone's comments and for the help. Even though i've been doing this a long time i still love to hear other peoples advice on this subject.

[MoistTowelette]

It makes more sense to not change it everyday. I healed fine. i took it off the next morning(4 days total) and got a tiny scab at the bottom and im good to go. back at the gym in 8 days.

Thank you for everyone's comments and for the help. Even though i've been doing this a long time i still love to hear other peoples advice on this subject.

Finkster! What up brotha!

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It makes more sense to not change it everyday. I healed fine. i took it off the next morning(4 days total) and got a tiny scab at the bottom and im good to go. back at the gym in 8 days.

Thank you for everyone's comments and for the help. Even though i've been doing this a long time i still love to hear other peoples advice on this subject.

@finkster702 what up brotha!!!

[finkster702]

Finkster! What up brotha!

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@finkster702 what up brotha!!!

HAHA whats up Brother!! i love to get other peoples thoughts on how they use -derms.. trying to be incognito.. i guess i shouldnt have used this name...lmao

[MoistTowelette]

HAHA whats up Brother!! i love to get other peoples thoughts on how they use -derms.. trying to be incognito.. i guess i shouldnt have used this name...lmao

Haha! I like to use Mine the day after, after I wash it so I don't ooze too much plasma. Usually if I use it right after the session I pool way too much.

[Dan]

I was also told and have tried it,and it seems to make sense & works,I have used saniderm on 3 tattoos now,and one trick that helps IMO is to take cool showers when using the product.I know it's a bitch in winter.

All the exact reasons why ? don't know,but like I said,it makes sense.

Jess Yen originally told me to do that.

[HettyKet]

Mmm, that's interesting. I don't take cool showers but do do rather a lot of cooling with a ziplock bag of iced water. Am really pleased with the healing I'm getting with the tegaderm in any case.