01 · The first day
During the first 24 hours
Keep the original dressing clean and dry. Mild stinging, tenderness, pinkness or a small amount of blood on the dressing can be normal during early healing.
What to do
- Wash your hands before touching the treated area.
- Avoid rubbing the treated area against pillows, clothing or bedding while sleeping.
- Use pain relief only as advised by your clinician.
Avoid for now
- Picking, scratching or repeatedly lifting the dressing.
- Swimming, spas and soaking until the skin has closed. Avoid strenuous exercise and sauna heat for the period your clinician advised.
- Makeup, acids, retinoids or fragranced products on skin that has not fully closed.
Bleeding guidance: American Academy of Dermatology wound-care advice. Do not stop prescribed blood-thinning medicine without advice from the prescribing clinician.
02 · Dressing care
Follow the dressing care you were given
Whether you have had a mole or skin tag removed, the aim is to keep the area clean, slightly moist and protected while new skin forms.
If you have DuoDERM
Change it at the time your clinician advised
DuoDERM is a hydrocolloid dressing that protects the area, absorbs a small amount of wound fluid and keeps the surface slightly moist while it heals. A suitable hydrocolloid can remain in place for several days. The first change may be around 24 hours if advised; the schedule depends on the wound and the dressing supplied.2, 3
Remove gently
Wash and dry your hands. Slowly lift the original dressing from the edge. Do not pull forcefully if it is firmly attached.
Clean
Clean the area gently with clean water, saline or the cleanser recommended by your clinician. Do not scrub. Gently pat the surrounding skin dry.
Apply the new dressing
Place fresh DuoDERM over the treated area, allowing the edges to stick to clean, dry surrounding skin. Do not apply ointment underneath unless your clinician has told you to do so.
Leave it in place if comfortable
Follow your clinician’s schedule and the product instructions; some DuoDERM dressings may be worn for up to seven days per dressing. Change sooner if leaking, dirty or lifting. Increasing pain, heat, redness or discharge needs prompt clinical assessment, not just another dressing. Seven days is not a guaranteed healing time.
If advised to use petroleum jelly
Petroleum jelly and a non-stick dressing
Apply a thin layer of plain petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, or another simple product recommended by your clinician. Cover the area with a sterile non-stick dressing. Keeping the area slightly moist and covered supports healing and helps prevent a thick, dry scab.1, 8
Prepare your supplies
Wash your hands and prepare petroleum jelly from a clean tube, a sterile non-stick dressing and gentle medical tape.
Clean daily
Clean the area gently with mild fragrance-free soap and water, clean water or saline, as directed. Pat dry without rubbing.
Apply and cover
Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly, then cover the treated area with a sterile non-stick dressing.
Continue until the skin has closed
Repeat this care each day, or sooner if the dressing becomes wet or dirty. Continue until there is no open, raw or weeping area. Allow any scab to fall away naturally.
03 · Scar care
Let the skin heal before starting scar care
Any procedure that breaks the skin can leave a temporary or lasting mark. Keeping the area clean, slightly moist and protected may reduce excessive drying and thick scab formation, but no removal procedure can guarantee that there will be no scar.1
Protect
Continue the dressing care described above. Do not apply scar oils, vitamin E, acids, retinoids or makeup until the skin has fully closed.
Protect from the sun
Apply broad-spectrum SPF 50+ every day and cover the area when practical to reduce the chance of red or brown discolouration becoming darker.
Contact us for advice
Silicone gel or silicone sheets may be suitable for some fully healed areas. Ask your clinician when to start and which product may be appropriate.
04 · Pigment changes after healing
Brown or grey-brown marks usually fade gradually
After inflammation or injury, the skin may produce extra pigment. This is called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It may be more noticeable or last longer in medium to deep skin tones, and sun exposure can make it darker.4, 5
6–12 months
Many marks that are slightly darker than your usual skin tone gradually fade over 6–12 months. Deeper pigment may take longer, and some marks may not disappear completely.4, 6
- Let the skin close first. Using active products too early may irritate the area and prolong inflammation.
- Use SPF 50+ every day once the skin has closed, and use shade or clothing for additional protection when practical.
- Do not pick or rub the area. Repeated irritation may darken the mark and increase the risk of scarring.
- Ask us before treating the pigment. Strong skincare products or laser treatment used too early may irritate skin that is still healing.
05 · What to expect
Normal healing and when to contact us
The most important thing is whether symptoms are improving or getting worse. Mild symptoms that remain stable or improve are usually reassuring. Increasing pain, heat, swelling or redness should be assessed.
Common during healing
- Mild stinging, tenderness or pinkness
- A small amount of clear or blood-stained fluid
- DuoDERM becoming white, cloudy or slightly raised
- Itching as the surface closes
- A pink or brown mark after the skin has closed
Please contact us
- Increasing pain, heat, swelling or spreading redness
- Pus, unpleasant odour, fever or feeling unwell
- Bleeding that persists despite pressure; heavy or uncontrolled bleeding requires emergency help
- The wound reopens
- A worsening rash or adhesive reaction
- A mark or scar that is becoming darker, thicker or concerning
06 · When you need us
Please contact us if you are concerned
Call MA360 promptly if pain, redness, heat or swelling is increasing, there is pus or fever, or the wound reopens. If the clinic is unavailable, seek urgent medical advice. For a non-urgent dressing question, the team can explain whether a photo would help and how to send it. Do not wait for a form or photo reply when symptoms are worsening.
Clinic information: Chatswood · Hurstville.
07 · Common questions
Answers to common aftercare questions
Can I shower with DuoDERM on?
If your clinician and dressing instructions allow it, you can usually have a brief shower once the dressing is fully sealed. Do not soak the dressing or direct a strong stream of water onto it. Gently pat the outside dry and replace it if water gets underneath.
Should I let the wound “breathe”?
Usually not. Keeping the area slightly moist and protected supports surface healing. Leave DuoDERM in place for the period recommended by your clinician, provided it remains sealed, clean and comfortable.
Is the white bubble under DuoDERM pus?
A pale bubble can be absorbed wound fluid mixed with the hydrocolloid gel; colour alone cannot tell you whether there is infection. Call the clinic promptly for increasing pain, heat, spreading redness, pus, fever or feeling unwell. Do not wait until the next planned dressing change.
When can I restart skincare or makeup?
Wait until the skin is fully closed, dry and comfortable. Restart with gentle products first. Avoid acids, retinoids, scrubs and peels until your clinician confirms that the skin is ready.
Will every mark disappear?
Most early pinkness and pigmentation improve with time, but mole and skin tag removal cannot guarantee completely mark-free skin. The final result depends on the location and depth of the removal, the method used, your skin tone, sun exposure and how your skin heals.
08 · Sources and further reading
Reliable aftercare information
These sources support general wound-care and pigmentation principles. They do not establish an identical dressing schedule for every removal technique. Follow the instructions supplied for your wound and dressing.
- 1American Academy of Dermatology — wound care to minimise a scar ↗
Clean, moist, covered care and sun protection after healing.
- 2DermNet — wound dressings ↗
Hydrocolloids absorb light-to-moderate fluid and may remain for three to seven days.
- 3JAAD International — hydrocolloid dressing after dermatologic surgery ↗
Patient survey after excisions with linear closure: participants reported better comfort and convenience than with previous daily dressings. Subjective scar ratings and recall bias limit the conclusions; this does not establish one protocol for open mole or skin-tag wounds.
- 4American Academy of Dermatology — fading dark spots ↗
Surface pigment may fade over 6–12 months; deeper colour can take years.
- 5DermNet — post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation ↗
Post-inflammatory pigmentation can follow skin injury or inflammation and may darken with UV exposure.
- 6Journal of Drugs in Dermatology — PIH review ↗
Most cases improve spontaneously, although resolution can take months or years.
- 7Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS — wound infection signs ↗
Increasing redness, pain, heat, swelling, pus, wound opening or fever should be assessed.
- 8American Academy of Dermatology — skin biopsy wound care ↗
Daily gentle cleansing, petroleum jelly and a sterile dressing until healed.
General information only. This page does not replace personalised advice from your treating clinician or an in-person assessment. Healing and risks vary from person to person. If the instructions you received differ from this page, follow the instructions given directly to you.