Keep the shop bandage on your new tattoo a minimum of two hours, up to overnight

Wash your hands thoroughly before removing the bandages and every time you touch the tattooed area until it’s entirely healed

Remove the bandages with washed hands, dispose of the bandages, get new clean liquid soap in those clean hands and wash the tattoo (don’t use bar soaps or heavily perfumed soaps)

Blot the tattoo dry with a clean paper towel (don’t use a cloth towel)

Apply a small amount of unscented white lotion, A&D ointment, or an unscented triple antibiotic ointment to the area and rub it in all the way. There should be no ointment sitting on top of the new tattoo!

Avoid direct sun, submerging in water, and contact with potentially dirty/infectious surfaces and objects until the tattoo is completely healed

Repeat this process two to three times a day until the tattoo is healed, usually two weeks to a month

Be alert for signs of infection and contact your doctor and the studio immediately with any concerns of infection. Signs include, but aren’t limited to:

1. fever

2. feeling waves of heat and cold

3. abnormal shivering

4. excessive swelling of the tattooed area

5. pus coming out of the tattooed area

6. red lesions around the tattooed area

7. areas of hard, raised tissue

8. excessive redness or hotness, or drainage in the tattooed area

Keep the first applied bandage on for anywhere from 3-24 hours, depending on how much the wound is weeping. Replace within 24 hours. It’s fine if there is some plasma/blood/lymph fluid buildup under the bandage during this period, but don’t leave it longer than 24 hours.

To remove your first piece of Second Skin, find an edge of the bandage and pull it back over itself in the direction of hair growth. The shower is the ideal place to remove Second Skin. Running water will help loosen the adhesive and relax the skin, making the removal much more comfortable. Dry removal of Second Skin may cause discomfort and added trauma to the skin

Discard the used bandage and wash the tattoo with a mild soap, preferably fragrance-free

Allow the tattoo to air dry or pat dry with a clean paper towel

Cut and trim the “take home” piece of Second Skin to fit around the tattoo – include an extra inch around all sides. TIP: Cutting the edges of the bandage to be round will help it adhere better and feel more comfortable.

Peel the white paper wrapping from the sticky side first and place gently over the tattoo.

Once the adhesive side of the bandage is in place, remove the see-through second layer from the top side and smooth bandage over the tattoo.

Keep this second bandage on for 3-6 days – the full six days being ideal. If the skin appears irritated, there is fluid buildup, or the bandage is coming off, it’s okay to remove the bandage sooner rather than later.

If there is adhesive residue leftover on the skin, or the adhesive is not loosening enough with water, coconut oil and baby oil are helpful for removal.