Does anyone have any experience with applying Tegaderm after the first four days?
I'm completely new to both tattooing and Tegaderm, I'm hoping to get some advice/reassurance. Anyway, I got my first tattoo as part of a Friday the 13th flash deal. It's pretty small and simple, just a mountain range over the ditch of my left elbow. My tattoo artist wrapped it and told me I could take the bandaging off after two hours. I left it on for about six and then started cleaning it 2-3 times a day with soap, applying A&D ointment after as instructed. It started itching around Day 4 and my friend offered me Tegaderm to prevent scratching in my sleep. I put on a 6 inch x 8 inch (15cm x 20cm) Tegaderm and I've had it on for a day with no issues. There's slight leaking but from what I've read on this forum, that's normal.
Is it OK to keep the Tegaderm on to stop myself from scratching? When should I take it off? Should I be worried about interrupting the scabbing/peeling process by covering the tattoo?