TATTOO AFTERCARE: SECOND SKIN

Second Skin dressings stay in place for up to five days, and the vast majority of the healing happens underneath without you having to do anything. It is completely normal to see black goopy juice collecting beneath the dressing. This is simply what your body would usually turn into a scab. Do not worry - it is not the tattoo ink falling out.

Please avoid prolonged sun exposure, and submerging your tattoo in any baths, pools or other bodies of water for two weeks. Showering is totally fine.

After 3-5 days you can remove the Second Skin by gently peeling it off in the shower. Slowly stretch it parallel to your skin, rather than pulling it directly away from your body (similar to removing a 3M hook from a wall). You will see the adhesive let go of the skin as you stretch the dressing.

Your tattoo will most likely get itchy while it’s healing. Please avoid the temptation to pick or scratch at it, as you could risk scarring or pulling sections of ink out. You can apply a thin layer of aftercare balm to the area once or twice a day. Too much aftercare balm can cause an infection, so please remember that less is more. We sell professional quality aftercare products here at the studio.

Once the majority of scabs have fallen away naturally and your skin seals back over, your tattoo is healed enough to carry on life as normal, but if you have any questions at all do not hesitate to reach out via email or phone.

Please note: it’s common that Second Skin can come away prematurely at a small area of the sealed edge, letting air in and goopy tattoo healing juice out. This is particularly common during the hot and sweaty months. If this happens, there is no need to stress, but please remove the entire dressing ASAP and clean the tattoo with a gentle soap under running water, pat it dry with a clean piece of paper towel, then refer to the Cling Wrap instructions below.

TATTOO AFTERCARE: CLING WRAP

If we covered your tattoo with cling wrap, please leave this in place for at least a few hours before washing it with a mild soap under clean running water immediately. Pat the area dry with clean paper towel, and then apply a thin layer of aftercare balm. Small tattoos can be left alone to breathe at this point.

For larger tattoos (full torso, sleeve, half sleeve, full thigh etc) you can leave the cling wrap in place for the rest of the day and remove/wash it before bed. Pat dry with clean paper towel, let it breathe for about 15-20min then apply a thin layer of aftercare balm and rewrap it for overnight with new cling wrap. In the morning there will be goopy tattoo juice that has collected beneath the cling wrap. Remove the cling wrap in the shower and repeat the whole process of cleaning -> drying -> applying balm -> fresh wrapping again for the second day. Please don’t repeat this process for more than two days. The tattoo needs to breathe without cling wrap after this.

Keep your tattoo out of direct sunlight, and do not submerge it in baths, pools, or other bodies of water for two weeks. Keep it clean by soaping it up in the shower each day, allowing it to air dry for 15-20min, then applying a thin layer of aftercare balm no more than twice a day.

Your tattoo will get itchy - resist the urge to scratch it! Scratching and picking can cause scarring by prematurely removing scabbing that hasn’t yet healed.

Once all the scabs have fallen away naturally, you can stop using aftercare balm and go about your life as usual. Remember to use sunscreen whenever you’re outside to keep your skin and tattoos protected.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email or phone.

All bookings require a deposit.

Deposit value varies depending on length of tattoo appointment but is generally between $100 for a small piece up to $600 for large scale work.

All deposits are non-refundable and non-negotiable.

Deposits will come off the cost of the FINAL appointment.

At least 72 hours notice is required prior to rescheduling your appointment.

In failing to do so, the deposit will be forfeited as payment for loss of time, travel and design costs and will not be transferred to another rescheduled date. Customers are allowed no more than one reschedule for use of your deposit (unless due to extreme circumstance).

Appointments must be rescheduled to another date within three months of original appointment date.

We do not charge for drawing time of your tattoo as discussed in consult. Minor changes may be made to your design on the day of the appointment, however a change in concept or design may incur extra cost for unplanned drawing time.

We accept cash only unless customers wish to pay using After pay.

If paying with After pay, customers must let us know before coming in for appointment. Customers are also required to have the After pay App on their device in order to make payment. This payment method will incur an 08% surcharge fee per transaction.