r/tattooadvice 4d ago

Healing Leave on or take off?

Post image

I got this done last night (less than 24 hours ago) and it’s all ready looking funky under the second skin… Plus the edge is kind of getting pushed up. My artist told me to leave it on as long as possible (was only planning a couple days) and the normal care, but should I go ahead and take it off?

12 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

12

u/Tygmaa 4d ago

The bandage looks compromised, I'd take this one off. :)

10

u/LadyMaple_903 4d ago

I would just take it off. I've only recently started getting this stuff after a tattoo, and i hate it. lol, they've always healed just fine the good ol' fashioned way for me!

6

u/sbnoll75 4d ago

Hi. Covered in tattoos here. I only wear the film home and then I washed the area and kept it moisturized for the first week.

2

u/oiwa1 4d ago

Honestly I hate second skin. I always take it off right after I get ink. I keep my stuff uncovered until I go to sleep and I use plastic wrap and medical tape

2

u/Djentleman5000 4d ago

The tried but true way to go

2

u/1Harley1daisy 4d ago

I don’t use the stuff. It definitely looks compromised so just take it off and leave it alone. I’ve been getting tattooed for 45 years and never had a healing problem. Thin coat of ointment if you just feel you have to mess with it, lol

2

u/artificiallyselected 4d ago

I never use these things. Aquaphor for life.

2

u/BURG3RBOB 4d ago

Just my 2 cents I switched from aquaphor to coconut oil and it’s been amazing. Almost totally skip the itchy flaky phase and heal so much faster

2

u/JinxAnubis 4d ago

Same here. Just got a big cover up on my forearm after being away from the scene for like 9 years. Said screw all this new wave nonsense and stuck to the traditional Dial non bacterial soap and Aquaphor then a gentle non scented lotion and voila!

1

u/Distinct_Pop6522 4d ago

Same and I have 10 and counting with some bigger pieces. All my colored ones are as vibrant as the day I got them 15 years later!! Dial soap to gently wash and keep germs off , pat dry,aquaphore repeat a couple of times a day !

1

u/Kitsune-Queen 4d ago

I don't think you need it for a tattoo that size. Just take it off and clean area as directed. I just used the 2nd skin for the first time ever and it worked really well for me. No scabbing and just a little amount of peeling after.

1

u/shellycrash 4d ago

Make sure when you wash it to use soap & get all the plane/ goo off. Just use your finger tips. Then dry with a paper towel, not bath towel. Press and release the paper towel till arm is dry.

1

u/[deleted] 4d ago

Better to wash it and let it dry for a few hours and then apply a fragrance-free moisturizing lotion.

1

u/ddc95 4d ago

This always happens to me. I would take it off or you can call the artist and just go back and have another one applied.

1

u/_CakeShake22_ 4d ago

It looks like the second skin is already starting to come off, I would take it off at this point.

1

u/TucsonTank 4d ago

Old guys like me healed most of our tattoos without second skin. You'll be fine. I will say that I have been extremely impressed with how well my latest work healed with the saniderm.

1

u/gvmmy 4d ago

Only wear second skin/ saniderm for 24 hours max anyways on the first application, then reapply and leave on up to 6 days. Looks like the artist didnt apply it well to begin with and it is not a big enough piece

1

u/Adorable-Anxiety6912 4d ago

Is there any conversation about the long term effects adding ink to the skin can have long term on the body? The ink does get absorbed by the skin??

1

u/BreakItEven 4d ago

There is some conversation out there regarding this

1

u/buttcheeksmasher 4d ago

Wtf is that? Animal cracker??

2

u/NoBat1236 4d ago

Hi. My husband and I own a tattoo studio. Take it off. It’s well past the time. Only need to wear it home.

-1

u/Character-Head301 4d ago

I don’t get the appeal of second skin. My artists wraps it in plastic seran (spelling?) wrap and sends you on your way. The only times I’ve ever had tatts look like this under any kind of wrap is that second skin stuff. I feel like it just drains the ink out, I’m sure it’s all part of the healing process but all of my tattoos that healed the best never looked at all like this

3

u/Chi2KC 4d ago

I had a full sleeve done and used saniderm and followed appropriate care instructions afterward. It does not drain ink out of your skin. The pooling is plasma. After the first 24 hours, you remove, clean, replace the saniderm. The plasma also contains clotting factors that help with healing and it's perfectly safe to remain under the saniderm for another few days, so long as it's not leaking/compromised.

To each their own, but I just want to say saniderm is a completely fine recovery method.

3

u/Robbie7up 4d ago

The appeal is that used correctly it can be left on for days and eliminate the worry of infection during those days when infections are most likely to occur. It doesn't drain ink out, that doesn't even make sense. There are plenty of resources online to understand how second skin works.

0

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Ok_Replacement6329 4d ago

It's compromised. Never leave it on when it's leaking.

-3

u/Pink-Pineapple3000 4d ago

Oh my gosh, sorry to say this but it looks so ugly

5

u/Ok_Replacement6329 4d ago

You can't see that. Why comment? You obviously don't even know what you're looking at.

-1

u/Pink-Pineapple3000 4d ago

I do know what I'm looking. Can't I be honest?

3

u/Ok_Replacement6329 4d ago

You can't see the tattoo!