Learn About Plasma, Wet Healing & Dry Healing
Everything You Need to Know About Plasma
What is Plasma and What Does it Do?
If you don’t know what plasma is, the best way to describe it is that gooey, yellowish substance that begins oozing out of your tattoo when you finish a session. Believe it or not, plasma is vital in the tattoo healing process.
Plasma, the liquid component of blood, makes up approximately 55% of your blood volume in the body. This liquid gold contains dissolved proteins, glucose, electrolytes, hormones, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and most importantly, clotting factors. Its main purpose is to haul these substances to the areas of the body which are most in need.
When your body is injured—the plasma is then sent to the surface of the skin to be utilized for its clotting properties. Here it oozes through the injury, creating a barrier. This barrier begins to dry and harden, developing a scab. Doing so stops blood flow and seals off the body from the risk of infection while the nutrients and proteins in this important fluid begin to do their job—heal the injury.
Of course, scabbing during a tattoo is often something we want to avoid—so how do we utilize the healing properties of plasma without creating the dreaded scab? By preventing the fluid to dry, of course.
Using the Benefits of Plasma without the Downsides
Adhesive tattoo bandages such as Hypafix and Saniderm seal in the plasma and keep it in its liquid form, while still allowing your tattoo to breathe—another stage vital to the healing process. By keeping plasma in its liquid stage, it allows the fluid to do its basic function and heal the body through the use of its varied hormones and proteins. In its liquid form, plasma does not create the scabbing effect.
The Catch: Plasma’s healing properties are incredible and will heal your tattoo faster than if simply wiped away and not utilized. However, the problem lies in the plasma’s shelf life. Studies show that in its liquid form, the cells are only viable for approximately 24 hours. According to the American Red Cross, “Donated plasma is frozen within 24 hours of being donated in order to preserve the valuable clotting factors.”
For this reason, we recommend removing the first adhesive bandage within 8-24 hours, depending on the level of ‘weeping’ from your tattoo (and if an adhesive bandage was applied immediately after your tattoo was finished). As long as the there isn’t any leaking outside of the bandage, you can leave the adhesive bandage on for the full 24 hours. If you suspect there is a hole or a break in the seal of the bandage, it should be removed and replaced with a fresh bandage. Be sure to monitor the weeping closely and always replace the first bandage at the 24 hour mark.
Wound Care With adhesive tattoo bandges
Did you know that medical studies have shown that wet healing is the best practice for wound care?
When it comes to healing minor wounds and abrasions, it’s common practice to keep the wound dry and uncovered. The idea is that keeping the wound dry will help it scab over and heal faster. However, it turns out that wound healing is actually more efficient when healed with a wet healing method.
What is dry healing?
Dry healing was the early form of wound healing for many, many centuries. Long before bandages and wraps were created, dry healing seemed to be the most logical method for caring for a wound. In this case, the wound essentially appeared to heal itself. With exposure to open air, the body releases a plasma fluid which dries, hardens, and forms an exoskeleton of sorts.
In layman’s terms, a scab.
Scabs do heal the body; however, they do so slowly and usually leave behind an intensive scar.
What is wet healing?
The Ancient Egyptians were among the first to realize that dry healing wasn’t the most efficient way to heal a wound. Through utilizing a handful of materials, they began treating wounds by keeping the wound bed moist and began noticing startling differences in the body’s ability to heal itself. They found that wet healing promoted a faster healing time and greatly decreased scarring.
Since then, medical advances have come a long way. As have our understanding of how the body works. Now, we are well aware that the body’s plasma fluid actually possesses greater healing properties when kept in its original form. When moist, cells can grow, divide, and migrate at an amplified frequency. It is believed that, in optimal conditions, wet healing can speed up the healing process by approximately 50%.
What Should I Do If My Tattoo Smells Bad?
We’re going to discuss a common experience that can occur while healing a new tattoo with the wet healing method – a stink coming from your new ink. When healing your tattoo with an adhesive product like Hypafix or Saniderm, there’s a chance you’ll notice a funky smell coming from your bandaged tattoo. Typically it’s not abnormal and is usually nothing to worry about and in most cases, you do not need to do anything about it.
What is That Smell? How Wet Wound Healing Works:
When you apply an adhesive tattoo bandage to a fresh tattoo, you are instructed to leave the bandage on for 24 hours. During this 24-hour period (and sometimes longer), your tattoo will weep bodily fluid. This fluid is a combination of excess ink that your skin didn’t take, blood, plasma, and lymph fluid. It is actually highly beneficial to allow your tattoo to “soak” in this fluid for a period of time. Plasma and lymph fluid are filled with white blood cells, which keep the wound site moist and aid in healing.
However, the cells in your plasma are only viable for about 24 hours. Once these cells begin “dying” or losing viability (one reason why we recommend removing the first adhesive tattoo bandage bandage and reapplying a new one after the first 24 hours) they can start to cause the wound site to smell unpleasant. Lymph fluid is the primary culprit which, coincidentally, is also what causes gauged ears or body piercings to smell unpleasant while they’re healing.
So What Should You Do If Your Bandaged Tattoo Starts to Smell Bad?
If you’re still within the 24-48 hour window of getting your tattoo, we recommend just removing your adhesive tattoo bandage and applying a new one. Be sure you’re following proper application and removal steps!
If you’re already on day 3-4, presuming there are no signs of infection, complications, or excessive fluid buildup, it’s okay to leave that bandage on for up to the 5-7 day mark (even if it smells a little bit).
What If My Unbandaged Tattoo Smells Bad?
If your tattoo has been unbandaged and cleaned but still has a strong unpleasant scent more than 48 hours after your tattoo session, seek the help of a medical professional. This could indicate an infection. Additionally, if any of the following symptoms are present, seek the help of a medical professional:
Fever more than 48 hours after being tattooed
Chills or shivers more than 48 hours after being tattooed
Inflammation, swelling, or hotness to touch in the tattooed area more than 48 hours after the tattoo
Red streaks or marks
Pus oozing from the tattoo
Excessive scabbing
Swollen lymph nodes