Will the Suprasorb film dressing help my new tattoo heal better?
27/2/2026
A tattoo hurts twice: when you get it and when you pay for it. My tattooist advised me to use a film dressing so at least the healing process won’t cause me any stress.
It’s 2026, and I’m getting my ninth tattoo. A small dragon on my left shoulder. Straight after tattooing, the skin around the design is reddened. It’s bleeding and weeping. Memories of the past come flooding back.
When I got my first tattoo 20 years ago, the artist covered the finished design with cling film, and stuck the edges down with a plaster. The film came from the supermarket, and I didn’t think it was hygienic even back then. The plaster came off after a few hours because I was sweating like a pig under the cling film. The whole mess of pigment and blood that had collected under the «packaging» ended up on my t-shirt. I had to chuck it in the bin.
At last, no more ruined clothes
Luckily, the tattoo scene’s moved on since then. Many artists use self-adhesive film dressings, available from various suppliers. A frequently used product is Suprasorb F, a film that sticks to the skin on its own, and is durable and waterproof. It protects the wound on the inside, and the clothing on the outside. It’s also supposed to help my fresh tattoo heal faster. The film I’m testing isn’t sterile. But cleaner than cling film? Most definitely.
The leaflet in the packaging says it’s «for slightly exuding wounds». That makes sense, because a fresh tattoo’s nothing more than an abrasion. My tattoo artist recommends I remove the film after three days at the latest. «Otherwise it’ll be disgusting» – with these words, she sticks Suprasorb over my little dragon. I’m happy and drive home.
In my experience, tattoos heal quickly. So I only leave the film on for one night. Also in the hope it’ll protect my bed linen from the drips. Suprasorb makes it through my morning shower unscathed, as well as a few small errands. It even stays in place when I’m lugging bags around. But after about 30 hours, small rivulets form, and wound fluid runs out from under the film. Time to remove the dressing.
I let water run over my shoulder, and pull up the film at one corner to loosen the adhesive. The dressing can be removed without leaving any residue. Now I’m curious. The design looks good: my skin’s no longer as red as it was immediately after getting the tattoo, and there’s hardly any fluid coming out of the wound. I decide against applying a new film dressing. Instead, I rinse off the design with lukewarm water, apply wound and healing ointment, and put on a loose shirt.
Moist wound healing: how does it work?
Now I want to know exactly: what’s happening to my skin under the Suprasorb film? According to manufacturer Lohmann & Rauscher, the adhesive dressing «maintains a moist wound environment and therefore supports wound healing». I turn to my colleague Anna Sandner. She’s a biologist and knows her stuff.
How does moist wound healing work?
Anna: For a wound to heal, the new skin cells must reach the surface of the wound so they can proliferate there. They need moisture to move there. In moist wound care, the wound is sealed airtight with special plasters – like your Suprasorb film. This ensures that the natural wound fluid (called exudate) remains on the wound and doesn’t evaporate. In this nutrient-rich soup, messenger substances, defence cells and growth factors can move freely, and float to exactly where they’re needed.
Which enzymes are active in this process?
What’s known as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs for short) work in the wound fluid. They’re something akin to a clean-up crew. They break down damaged tissue and protein residues to make room for new cells. They need a moist environment to be active. If the wound’s too dry, they can’t function, which prevents healing from taking place.
Why’s this better than dry healing?
The problem with dry healing is the scab, which lies on the wound like an obstacle. For the wound to close, new skin cells (epithelial cells) must migrate over the surface. But they can’t do this on a dry crust, as they’ll dry out. This is why they have to sink into the deeper wound tissue to absorb moisture. The cells use up a lot of energy to make this detour. With moist wound healing, there’s no scab. The cells can almost surf along the wound to where they’re needed without any loss of energy.
So wounds heal quicker when moist?
Yes, much quicker. Researchers agree on this, and studies have been able to measure it. If the cells don’t have to take a detour under the scab, the skin surface closes about twice as fast.
So why did the advice to let wounds heal in the air hang around for years?
This was probably because moisture was always associated with the risk of infection. As early as 1962, British researcher George Winter demonstrated in a study that wounds heal much faster under a film than in the air. It just took a long time for it to get into people’s heads.
Are there any risks with this method?
The main risk is what’s called maceration. This is what happens when you sit in the bath too long and your fingertips get wrinkly. If too much wound fluid gets onto the healthy skin at the edge of the wound, the skin softens. The skin barrier is broken, then acting as a gateway for bacteria and fungi. Plus, the aforementioned MMPs can become too aggressive in chronic wounds, and break down the newly formed tissue instead of the damaged cell material. So the humidity should be carefully balanced – not too dry, but not too moist either.
A good start for my new tattoo
My new tattoo’s now almost a week old. The Suprasorb film clearly helped me get it off to a good start: new skin’s already forming over the design, and the redness has completely subsided. I’ll apply cream for a few more days – and that should be it.
So what I should do with the leftover Suprasorb? There are easily 70 centimetres of film dressing left on my roll. Well, that obviously means I’ll have to get another tattoo soon. Otherwise it would be a waste, right?
Minor drawbacks
What would a Galaxus product test be without the negative aspects? After all, as members of the editorial team we want to be transparent. And Suprasorb actually has two small flaws, in my opinion.
Firstly, the film dressing is quite inflexible. This is annoying as soon as you stick it over your joints. It fits snugly on my shoulder, but it restricts my freedom of movement. This comes at no surprise because the dressing’s made of polyurethane, a synthetic material. Although polyurethane is flexible, it can’t cope with the range of motion of a shoulder joint.
Which brings us to the second disadvantage. Because the dressing can only be stretched to a limited extent, it’s taut on my tattoo, causing unnecessary pain. It has to be said that shoulders are an unforgiving spot. On my forearm, for example, the adhesive dressing would probably be less irritating.
What to do if your tattoo’s not healing?
Quick disclaimer: this article’s a test report on a film dressing, and isn’t intended to provide medical advice. If your new tattoo’s really painful, is red for days or weeps, see a doctor. You could have an infection or an allergic reaction to the dressing or adhesive.
How do you protect your new tattoo? Let me know in the comments!
In a nutshell
Super film dressing for fresh tattoos
It’s a good idea to use Suprasorb to protect your new tattoo the first few days after you get it. This adhesive dressing is waterproof, lets your tattoo breathe and supports moist wound healing. The only thing is, it can be a little uncomfortable on very mobile parts of the body, like over joints. For these areas, you might be better off using cling film, as this isn’t as tight.
Pro
- Waterproof
- Supports moist wound healing
- Ultra adhesive
- Easy to remove
Contra
- Limited flexibility (depending on body part)
Header image: Anika Schulz
Anika Schulz
Teamleader Editorial
Anika.Schulz@galaxus.deAs a child, I was socialised with Mario Kart on SNES before ending up in journalism after graduating from high school. As a team leader at Galaxus, I'm responsible for news. I'm also a trekkie and an engineer.
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