Tattoo aftercare management with a dermo-cosmetic product: Improvement in discomfort sensation and skin repair quality.

Background: A moisturizer application during the healing process after a tattoo session is a common practice to help wound healing and to reduce discomfort sensations. This practice was recently recommended by the standard European guidelines on tattoos, with the use of an adapted ointment to keep the site moist.

Aims: To assess the efficacy and the tolerability of a specific dermo-cosmetic product (Cicabio Pommade, Laboratoire Bioderma, NAOS, France) in tattoo aftercare.

Patients/methods: Thirty subjects included in this survey applied the product immediately after the tattoo session for 14 days. The objective symptoms (redness, edema, skin repair quality) were assessed by the tattooist and the subjects. The subjective symptoms, discomfort sensations (pain, itching, burning sensations, tingling), soothing, moisturizing, and undesirable effects were assessed by the tattooed individuals.

Results: After 14 days of application, redness was absent for 100% and 96% of subjects according to the tattoo artist and the subjects, respectively, and edema had completely disappeared for both assessors. Most of the subjects rated the skin quality repair and the aesthetic outcomes as very good to excellent. Soothing and moisturizing effects were observed as early as the first day. The effects were maintained over 14 days. Discomfort sensations were judged absent to slight in 96%-100% of cases after 7 days. They were assessed as absent to slight in all cases for pain, itching, and tingling, and in 96% for burning sensations after 14 days. The product was very well tolerated by 87% of the subjects.

Conclusions: Our survey demonstrates that this dermo-cosmetic product is suitable for tattooed skin aftercare as it reduced skin discomfort as soon as the first day and led to a good skin quality repair while being well tolerated.