Cling film

One thing that really bugs me about tattooing is covering a fresh tattoo with awkward horrible cling film. Are there any better product to use on my clients when they leave my shop?

saniderm, dermalize, etc... There are lots of products out there that are designed to be left on for days to act as a second skin and "replace the scab". Essentially they seal the tattoo from the elements, but are still breathable, and allow the body's own plasma to heal the tattoo during the early critical stages. It's the same thing used in hospitals for severe injuries. I use the Dynarex "dermal shield" version. I've also used the Recovery+ version, which works well and is a lot more flexible, but the adhesive is a little more aggressive (it doesn't stick to the tattoo - don't worry).

Don't pass over the information on using a second application - that's an important step.

Thanks cyberthrasher. I was looking at this kind of stuff on Amazon but when someone asked if it could be left on and the answer was no because whole thing is sticky and tattoo will not heal, I thought I was looking at the wrong stuff

Dannyb83 said:

Thanks cyberthrasher. I was looking at this kind of stuff on Amazon but when someone asked if it could be left on and the answer was no because whole thing is sticky and tattoo will not heal, I thought I was looking at the wrong stuff

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There's still a lot of misunderstanding about it there. People don't really know how it works. Be careful with Amazon purchases because you don't want a fake/inferior product. The Recovery+ one is available on Amazon. Ink-Eeze has one now, I Think Electrum just released a version, I believe another member here uses Dermalize. Don't use Tagaderm though since it's not designed to be breathable. Yes, the whole thing is sticky, but the adhesive won't bond to the tattoo at all making a perfect seal (as long as you avoid wrinkles and air bubbles).

Cyberthrasher said:

There's still a lot of misunderstanding about it there. People don't really know how it works. Be careful with Amazon purchases because you don't want a fake/inferior product. The Recovery+ one is available on Amazon. Ink-Eeze has one now, I Think Electrum just released a version, I believe another member here uses Dermalize. Don't use Tagaderm though since it's not designed to be breathable. Yes, the whole thing is sticky, but the adhesive won't bond to the tattoo at all making a perfect seal (as long as you avoid wrinkles and air bubbles).

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Thank you for all your help

Completely agree with you Danny, cling film is for food, not tattoos. I also agree with everything Allen said. I use Dermalize. Have tried others too. They've all worked great for me.

PS I don't remember who I discussed this with (DKJ ?) in another thread, but this is what I've read before about wiping tattoos with alcohol before applying wrap:

"Do not clean a fresh tattoo with products containing isopropyl alcohol or glycerin. Isopropyl alcohol will certainly kill any bacteria in the area, but it will also kill all of your body’s own healing elements in the process. This will cause the wound to dry out under the bandage when it’s applied."

It's from the link Allen posted above.

MalligaMallan said:

PS I don't remember who I discussed this with (DKJ ?) in another thread, but this is what I've read before about wiping tattoos with alcohol before applying wrap:

"Do not clean a fresh tattoo with products containing isopropyl alcohol or glycerin. Isopropyl alcohol will certainly kill any bacteria in the area, but it will also kill all of your body’s own healing elements in the process. This will cause the wound to dry out under the bandage when it’s applied."

It's from the link Allen posted above.

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We need to be less stressed out with this last step, wrapping the tattoo.
Ultimatly, it's not necessary, our clients' skins can heal without anything, like from any surface scar.

But... On our side, we want to be clean and follow the hygiene rules: no infection = no problems.
And we want to preserve our work as much as possible before the client takes care (or not) of it.
Before that we try to make sure we do the less possible trauma to their skins.
Of course it would be stupid to let a dry skin under a film, it needs to be hydrated, so cleaning with alcohol may be problematic if we didn't add a layer of cream/balm before closing with the wrap.
We can be super cautious but it seems that many ways can do the job good enough.

I've read everywhere that tattoers let their tattoos go dry and crusty, not taking care of them at all, isn't it because they're tired of acting professional?

Peace,

DKJ

Many years ago when I got my first tattoo, the tattooist didn't wear gloves, used ink that was already in the ink cups from a previous client, and he covered the tattoo with paper towel and tape when finished.
I think cling wrap first came into vogue so the clients mates could see the finished tattoo without the bandage/paper towel being removed...

Cling film for 2 hours ,then fresh air work’s great

DKJ said:

We need to be less stressed out with this last step, wrapping the tattoo.

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Personally I'm not stressed about it, I just want to control the client

MalligaMallan said:

Personally I'm not stressed about it, I just want to control the client

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You could insert a chip under their skin with Wifi and control them from your phone, but i've heard it only covers an area of 100 meters, so they will haunt the streets around your studio.

Peace and order,

DKJ

DKJ said:

You could insert a chip under their skin with Wifi and control them from your phone, but i've heard it only covers an area of 100 meters, so they will haunt the streets around your studio.

Peace and order,

DKJ

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Vaccine is probably more efficient

Big Pete said:

Many years ago when I got my first tattoo, the tattooist didn't wear gloves, used ink that was already in the ink cups from a previous client, and he covered the tattoo with paper towel and tape when finished.
I think cling wrap first came into vogue so the clients mates could see the finished tattoo without the bandage/paper towel being removed...

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This sounds like an absolute fucken nightmare lol

Big Pete said:

Many years ago when I got my first tattoo, the tattooist didn't wear gloves, used ink that was already in the ink cups from a previous client, and he covered the tattoo with paper towel and tape when finished.
I think cling wrap first came into vogue so the clients mates could see the finished tattoo without the bandage/paper towel being removed...

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Seen it…’one sponge one bucket’ all day long