Tattoo Aftercare is Important
The average initial healing time can take up to four weeks. During the healing process, it is normal to have some discomfort, flaking and itchiness. Please do not pick! You will know your tattoo is healed when it has lost its glossy sheen. Avoid exposure to sun, open bodies of water, tubs while healing.
Healing a tattoo is all about proper hygiene. Keep your fingers and other people’s fingers off the fresh tattoo; This can cause an infection and poor healing and/or color retention.
Normally it is advised to sleep in old clothing and very clean sheets. Residual pigment and or ink can stain your linens. But when using our preferred method of Saniderm you won’t have to worry about getting your clothing or bed linens stained.
It is normal for your newly tattooed skin to have a deep red color around the tattoo and to feel warm or even feverish for the first day or so. Gently wash your tattoo by hand with unscented soap and pat dry with a paper towel. Do not rub! Clean hands only, please! Avoid soaking your tattoo in a hot bath during the healing period.
Your new tattoo will be very sensitive for several days. This is normal. Try to refrain from any exercise or excess sweating while it is healing. You should continue to moisturize the tattoo whenever it becomes dry.
Avoid scratching or picking at the dry, flaky skin that forms on your tattoo. This will cause a loss of color. Continue to moisturize the tattoo until this flaky skin falls off naturally. If your tattoo itches during the healing period, SLAP IT! The sting with subside the itching for a period of time.
You should avoid exposing your tattoo directly to the sun, tanning beds, saunas, and public swimming facilities. Prolonged exposure to the sun (even after healing) will DRASTICALLY damage your tattoo. If you must be in the sun, cover your tattoo completely or apply liberal amounts of waterproof sun block consistently though out the day. Your tattoo will look only as good as your skin is healthy. Continue to use a good quality skin moisturizer on your tattooed skin and the colors will remain vibrant and beautiful.
Canvas Tattoo utilizes two methods of healing depending on the client’s needs. We carry a full line of H2Ocean healing products and Saniderm medical grade healing bandage. Your artist will recommend one based on your lifestyle, job, and events you may encounter after receiving your tattoo. It is of vital importance to follow the prescribed program to allow for proper healing.
We have two aftercare programs at Canvas Tattoo. Failure to follow to utilize our instructions can result in a diminished tattoo. We stand behind our work when these programs are followed. When they are not, we cannot guarantee your results and will perform no touch-ups on pieces that were damaged by poor aftercare.
Saniderm
Canvas Tattoo is proud to carry Saniderm: Cutting edge technology in tattoo aftercare.
Enhanced Tattoo Healing
Wounds heal faster and better when they are kept moist and clean. That is why people put lotions and ointments on cuts and abrasions and new tattoos. The problem is that the lotions and ointments dry up quickly and you have to reapply 5-6 times a day, and your tattoo still dries up between each application. When a new tattoo dries up, scabs form, your skin cells become dehydrated, and cells die. This causes fading, distortion of colors and design, and longer healing times. Your body tries to keep a healing wound moist by sending fluids and enzymes to the wound site. But these fluids and enzymes become ineffective when they dry up and are actually what forms the scab. The purpose of the scab is to protect the wound from environmental contamination. But, at the same time, scabbing has some disadvantages. A scab forms a barrier to the generation of new tissue. Studies have shown that under influence of scabbing the regenerative wound healing processes take more time, thus increasing the risk of scarring. Saniderm bandages, when used properly, will lock in your body’s natural fluids and enzymes to keep your healing tattoo moist, and they will prevent scabbing. With your body’s natural fluids and enzymes locked in, your cells will stay hydrated, tissues that are already dead will be broken down and removed more effectively, damaged blood vessels will regenerate more quickly, growth of new cells is stimulated and pain is significantly reduced. Studies have shown that wounds that are kept moist can heal twice as fast as wounds that are left dry.
Breathable
Saniderm bandages have been designed and engineered to be permeable to gases, or in other words- breathable. Of course, you don’t actually “breathe” through your skin, but your skin does need oxygen to function and heal properly. In fact, the outermost skin layer is almost exclusively supplied by oxygen from the air. Because Saniderm bandages are breathable, you can wear the same bandage for several days and your skin will continue to function normally. Other benefits of breathability are proper heat transfer and reduced infection risk.
Protects
Dirt and germs are present everywhere you go. Saniderm bandages will provide an impenetrable barrier to protect your new work and keep you safe from infection. Saniderm will also protect you from the pain of friction, irritation or pain when your clothes or sheets rub against your new tattoo. Have you ever gotten blood and ink all over your clothes or sheets after getting a new tattoo? How about protecting your clothes and sheets from that mess? Saniderm will do that too.
Easy To Use
Every artist has experienced it – A client comes back dissatisfied with a tattoo when the truth is the tattoo was fine, it just wasn’t properly cared for while it was healing! Let’s be honest, traditional aftercare methods can be time consuming and inconvenient – applying lotions multiple times a day, keeping it out of water, etc… Saniderm bandages simplify the aftercare process so that no one can screw it up. All you do is put a bandage on when the tattoo is done and go about your business. You can leave that first bandage on for 24-36 hours depending on how much it weeps. You can shower like normal and go to work. After the first bandage, you simply and gently clean the tattoo and put on a second piece, which needs to be worn for 5 days. There is no scabbing, no infection, no irritants, nothing that will damage the tattoo. Your work stays bright and true, just like you intended it.
Flexible
Regular tapes or pads do not bend or stretch. They will quickly fall off after just a little movement. Saniderm Bandages are so light, flexible and stretchable, they can be put anywhere and will stay. It doesn’t matter if it’s on an elbow, knee, armpit or shoulder; Saniderm will still allow you full range of motion so that your new tattoo will not limit your usual activities. Plus, the bandages are so light that you will hardly notice you are wearing one, if you can notice at all.