I’ve been getting tattooed for more than 25 years.
I’ve always healed my tattoos the same way – keep ’em clean, keep ’em moisturized.
But now, thanks to the legendary pros at RedTree Tattoo, I’ve learned there is a new way to heal tattoos that is absolutely perfect for people like me.
During one of my recent sittings with Fawn Baker on my full sleeve tattoo, she wrapped my arm in Saniderm after we finished our session.
Unlike the usual saran wrap bandaging, which should be removed after a couple of hours, she told me to leave the Saniderm on for longer – up to four or even more days. “As long as you like,” she said.
Saniderm is a type of medical bandage that goes on a lot like saran wrap. It seals around your tattoo and allows for optimal wound care and healing. It makes you feel like you have a shiny plastic robot arm.
But it is kind of amazing how much it helps with healing. And for me, Saniderm also cuts down on a lot of the soreness of a fresh tattoo.
The Saniderm website promises “faster healing, brighter colors and darker blacks.” After two times using the product, I’m a true believer.
Saniderm is a miracle healing product. Honestly, I have never seen its equal in all my years of collecting.
With the normal tattoo healing route, I typically have a decent amount of discomfort in the first few days to a week. Then, I have unbelievably frustrating itching for about a week after that.
Usually, I form big, thick scabs a couple of days after a session. Even with the utmost of care and keeping things clean and moisturized, these scabs just happen. Then, it becomes really hard not to scratch them or accidentally knock or rub them off. I’ve even had healing tattoos bleed when this happens, which is no bueno.
But with Saniderm, I get absolutely zero scabbing. None. Not a one.
The Saniderm “wet healing” or “moist healing” method (both absolutely revolting terms, am I right?) helps the body do what it does best: heal the tattoo. There is no scabbing and minimal discomfort or pain during the time the Saniderm wrap is on your body.
The longer you leave the Saniderm on, the greater the chance that your tattoo will be almost completely healed when you take it off.
But I will admit that removing the Saniderm bandage is neither easy nor fun. It’s best done in the shower and even then, it looks and feels like something out of a horror movie. Let’s just say the product sticks really well and kind of becomes one with your body; it just doesn’t want to come off.
Removing Saniderm from a tattoo is the closest thing to a de-gloving most of us will ever experience. It’s not hugely painful, but it just feels worrisome and wrong.
Taking off Saniderm feels a bit like being skinned alive. And since you’re doing it in the shower so the warm water can help the process, you’re usually doing it alone. I typically howl like a wolf while I’m doing it – it seems to help, although it upsets my dogs.
Once you have the Saniderm off, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The worst part is over! You are left with a smooth, healing tattoo that is bright, colorful and free of scabs. I typically get light flaking in the days after removing the Saniderm, but nothing like the scabbing and peeling that I used to get without it.
I realize this has been a pretty gross blog post – what with all the skin flaying, scabs, moist healing and whatnot. I apologize to the squeamish among us.
But Saniderm is the bomb and I just had to share my experiences. The results speak for themselves. In fact, I’ve stocked up on some to keep at home for tattoo and wound healing; you can find Saniderm on Amazon.
Both times Fawn has used Saniderm after tattooing me, I’ve been utterly blown away at the difference in my healing. A few tense minutes in the shower are well worth it to have the brightest, smoothest and best-healed tattoos of my entire life!
Have you experienced healing a tattoo with Saniderm, and did you have a similar experience? I’d love to hear your tattoo tales in the comments below or over on Instagram!
