If you’ve gotten a tattoo before, you know how important the aftercare process is. Even if an experienced artist does the tattoo, poor aftercare can ruin an otherwise perfect piece. You may also be aware of how much work it can be sometimes. Thankfully, there’s a new hero in town that takes all of the work out of healing your new tattoo. By healing your tattoo with Saniderm, you won’t have to worry about keeping it clean, applying too much or too little ointment, or getting it wet!
What is Saniderm?
Saniderm is a thin, clear protective bandage that adheres to the tattoo site. It’s water-resistant, breathable, and does a great job of keeping out dirt and bacteria. Saniderm uses your body’s own healing abilities to heal the tattoo quickly and effectively.
If you’ve ever had an IV at the doctor or hospital, you may be familiar with this type of bandage. It is commonly used to hold IV catheters and tubing in place. You may also know it as Tegaderm or another brand name.
How Does It Work?
At The Mad Tatter, we typically apply an initial Saniderm when the tattoo is finished. That will get you through the night worry-free. The tattoo will stay clean and safe; any fluids will also be safely kept inside! You’ll then come back the next day and let us remove that first bandage, clean the area, and apply a fresh Saniderm at no charge. Any additional change outs will have a small fee, but most folks never need more.
Fresh Tattoo 
Day 1 with Saniderm 
Day 3 with Saniderm
Things To Know
The tattoo will typically continue to ooze some leftover ink, blood, plasma, lymph, and other bodily fluids the first day or so after your appointment. The bandage will keep all of this nicely sealed inside. The more coverage your tattoo has, the more build-up you’ll see accumulate. It doesn’t look the best, but trust us, it’s perfectly normal! When we change out the Saniderm, we clean all of this off.
There may be some more build-up in the following days, but it’s usually minimal after the first day or so. You’ll wear the second bandage for 5-7 days, after which you can remove yourself. To help with the adhesive, we recommend removing the bandage in the shower or under warm water, if possible.
After the bandage is off, clean it thoroughly with non-scented, antibacterial soap. If there is any residual adhesive on the skin, you can lightly try to rub it off. If that doesn’t cut it, sparingly use 70% isopropyl alcohol on a clean paper towel to gently remove any remaining glue.
During the first week, with the Saniderm on, the body will heal the tattoo better than any ointments or creams. Once you pull the Saniderm off after a week or so, the tattoo should be healed up! You’ll just want to apply a non-scented lotion periodically to keep it moist. There may also be a little bit of flaking, similar to healing sunburn. Don’t pick at any flakes, just let them come off on their own and you’ll be healed up in no time!
We Love It!
At The Mad Tatter, we get great feedback from our clients that have tried Saniderm. Most of them won’t go back to traditional aftercare afterwards! As artists and staff, we also use it on ourselves to heal tattoos and can attest to what a breakthrough it is for the industry.
If you hate the trouble and uncertainty of traditional aftercare and having to apply ointment several times a day, then Saniderm is truly a miracle. Ask us about it during your next tattoo appointment and let us take all of the work out of healing your new tattoo!
If you’re looking for traditional aftercare instructions, head over to our aftercare post!