Getting a tattoo is not a pain-free process, but an expert has revealed lots of people could be putting themselves through more hurt than necessary due to a common aftercare mistake. Posting to TikTok, a tattoo artist revealed there's a right way and a wrong way to remove 'second skin' - the adhesive barrier given to customers to help protect their fresh ink while it is healing.
What's more, people were left amazed after the expert shared how to prevent the "pain and misery" caused by the error, as many said they had not realised there was a correct method in the first place. The must-know tip was revealed by Stephanie Cicadaink, who regularly shares popular videos to @cicadaink_ about her work as a tattoo artist.
Responding to a video showing a woman painfully pulling second skin away from a tattoo, she warned against the method as it can cause your scabs to peel off.
She went on to explain the adhesive works similarly to the non-mark wall stickers most homeowners will be familiar with. When removing such strips form your wall, it is important to pull downward rather than in an upward direction, or you risk removing a layer of paint. She says, second skin similarly needs to be pulled in the "same direction".
Demonstrating the better method, she explained "don't pull this way" while pulling her hand up and away from the tattoo. "This is painful and will remove the scab of your tattoo."
She continued: "You pull in the same direction," before revealing this method takes longer but will feel "way less painful". She also advised removing the second skin in the shower, using warm water, to aid the process.
The video went viral, gaining over 200,000 likes and lots of comments from astonished viewers. One person replied: "No one told me how to take the second skin out correctly."
A second said: "This makes more sence (sic). no tattoo artist showed me how to remove it. they just said remove in water."
And another wrote: "Ugh I wish my tattoo artist had told me this! I had leftover glue on my tattoo for like a week after I (painfully) took off the second skin!!"
Meanwhile, a different commenter thought: "The wall hook was such a perfect comparison."
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