01 / Start here
The first 24 hours
Keep the original dressing dry and in place. A little tenderness or a small blood spot can happen early on. Change a dressing sooner if it becomes soaked, dirty or loose.
Do these things
- Wash your hands before touching the dressing.
- Rest the area. Avoid rubbing from clothing, pillows or jewellery.
- If you can normally take paracetamol, use the dose on the pack for discomfort. Do not combine products containing paracetamol.
Give the skin a break
- Do not pick, scratch or lift the dressing to check underneath.
- Avoid activity that stretches, rubs or makes the wound bleed.
- Keep makeup, exfoliating acids, retinoids and fragranced products off the wound.
Do not change or stop prescribed medicines, including blood thinners, yourself. Wound-care source [1] · First-day care [2]
02 / Choose your dressing
Two routines. Use the one that matches.
Both routines protect the wound while new skin grows. Keep using the type already on your wound. Do not put petroleum jelly under DuoDERM.
Not sure what is on your wound? Check the packaging or call 1300 338 307 before removing it.
DuoDERM dressing
Leave it sealed. Change when needed.
When to change: if fluid leaks out, water gets underneath, or the edges lift enough to break the seal. Replace each dressing by day 7 at the latest. A sealed, comfortable dressing does not need changing just because 24 hours have passed.
Wash hands and peel back slowly
Support the surrounding skin. Loosen an edge and gently ease the dressing away. Avoid pulling sharply upwards or tearing it off.
Rinse gently
Use sterile saline to rinse the wound and loosen any gel residue. Do not scrub. Pat the surrounding skin dry.
Apply a fresh sheet
Cover the wound with a border of dressing that adheres securely to healthy, dry skin. Smooth the edges. Keep creams, oils and petroleum jelly out from underneath.
Note the date and check daily
Keep the dressing on while sealed and comfortable. Check the edges and how the area feels each day, without peeling it back.
Seven days is the maximum wear time for one dressing, not a healing deadline. DuoDERM evidence [3–4]
Petroleum jelly + non-stick dressing
Start 24 hours after treatment. Repeat daily.
Have ready: plain petroleum jelly from a clean tube, a sterile non-stick pad or plaster, and gentle medical tape if needed.
Wash hands and remove the old dressing
If the pad sticks, wet it with clean water or saline until it releases. Do not pull at the healing skin.
Clean and rinse
Use mild, fragrance-free soap and water. Rinse gently, then pat dry with clean gauze. Avoid scrubbing.
Add a thin layer of petroleum jelly
Spread a light coating over the wound. The surface should stay slightly moist, not dry and crusted.
Cover with a fresh non-stick dressing
Replace daily, and sooner if wet or dirty. Continue while any area is open, raw or weeping. Let any scab separate on its own.
Daily wound-care evidence [1] · Moist healing [5] · Products to avoid [14]
03 / A daily check
Is it settling or getting worse?
Symptoms should gradually settle. Compare how the area feels today with yesterday. You do not need to peel off a sealed DuoDERM dressing to check it.
Common when improving
- Mild tenderness, stinging or pinkness around the wound.
- A little clear or blood-tinged fluid early on.
- Cloudy gel beneath DuoDERM.
- Mild itching as the surface heals.
- A flat pink or brown mark after closure.
Needs assessment today
- Pain, warmth or swelling that increases.
- Redness spreading away from the wound.
- Pus, persistent unpleasant smell, fever or feeling unwell.
- A wound that reopens or keeps bleeding.
- A worsening rash or blisters from the adhesive.
Infection signs [6] · Small biopsy wounds [1] · Shave healing times [7]
04 / Get the right help
When to contact us
Worsening symptoms: get assessed today
Call for increasing pain, spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus, fever, a worsening adhesive rash, or a wound that reopens. If bleeding continues after 20 minutes of firm pressure, seek urgent care.
Call Medical Aesthetics 360°
1300 338 307Chatswood & Hurstville, Sydney
If the clinic is closed or cannot assess you promptly, contact an urgent care service or go to an emergency department. Do not wait for a web-form or photo reply when symptoms are worsening.
Emergency: call 000
For heavy or uncontrolled bleeding, difficulty breathing, collapse or another medical emergency. Do not wait for a dressing change or for the clinic to reopen.
For routine dressing questions or a scar/pigment review: contact MA360. A new or enlarging spot at the removal site also needs review.
05 / The next stage
After the skin has closed
Closed means a continuous skin surface with no raw opening or weeping. A scab alone does not prove the skin underneath has healed.
Move from wound care to gentle skincare
Once closed and dry, stop routine wound dressings. Use a gentle moisturiser; protect the area from friction. Keep makeup and active skincare off any remaining open or irritated skin.
Use broad-spectrum SPF 50+ every day
Apply to healed skin, 20 minutes before going outdoors. Reapply every 2 hours outdoors and after sweating or towel-drying. Add shade, a hat or clothing. While the wound is open, use covering and shade instead of sunscreen on the wound.
Watch for a raised or thickening scar
Silicone gel or sheets may help some raised scars, but only use them on fully healed skin. Book a scar review if the area becomes firm, raised, painful or increasingly itchy.
A scar may remain; aftercare cannot guarantee mark-free skin. Scar care [5] · Sun protection [8] · Silicone [9]
06 / Colour changes
Marks fade at their own pace
A flat brown or grey-brown mark can follow skin injury. This is called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It can be more noticeable and last longer in darker skin tones.
Some surface marks fade over this time. Deeper pigment may take years, and some colour changes persist. This is an estimate, not a promise.
- Keep using SPF 50+. Sun exposure can darken a healing mark.
- Avoid picking and irritating products. More inflammation can prolong pigmentation.
- Arrange a review for a changing spot. A new lump, growing pigment or recurrent bleeding should not be assumed to be a normal healing mark.
07 / Everyday questions
Showering, exercise & skincare
When can I shower?
From the day after treatment, take a brief shower. Keep sealed DuoDERM on, avoid a strong spray on it, and pat the outside dry. Replace it if water gets underneath. For a non-stick dressing, gently clean and apply a fresh dressing afterwards. Avoid baths, swimming and spas until the skin is closed.
When can I exercise again?
Take it easy at first. Avoid activities that stretch or rub the wound or trigger bleeding. Resume gradually as the area becomes comfortable and heals. Stop if it throbs, pulls or bleeds. Avoid saunas and steam rooms while the wound is open or weeping.
When can I use makeup or active skincare?
Wait until there is no open area, weeping or scab and the skin feels comfortable. Restart gentle moisturiser and makeup first, using clean hands and applicators. Keep acids, retinoids, scrubs and peels away while the area remains tender, red or easily irritated. Stop a product if it stings.
Should I leave it uncovered to “air out”?
Keep an open wound protected using your dressing routine. A slightly moist, covered surface supports healing. You can stop routine dressings when the surface has closed and is no longer weeping.
What if the dressing causes a rash?
Remove the irritating dressing gently. Cover the wound with a sterile non-stick pad secured away from irritated skin, and call the clinic to arrange a suitable alternative. A worsening rash or blisters needs same-day assessment. Breathing difficulty or collapse is an emergency: call 000.
08 / Evidence behind the instructions
Sources you can check
These links support moist wound care, dressing use, warning signs and sun protection. DuoDERM wear guidance comes from its manufacturer. Healing estimates vary with wound size, depth and location.
- American Academy of Dermatology — skin biopsy wound care
Daily cleaning, petroleum jelly, covered healing, showering and 20-minute bleeding pressure.
↑ Return to daily dressing care - Northern Care Alliance NHS — after shave excision or curettage
First-day dressing care for superficial removal wounds.
↑ Return to the first 24 hours - ConvaTec — DuoDERM dressings
Manufacturer guidance: up to seven days per dressing, with earlier changes when needed.
↑ Return to DuoDERM care - Chelsea and Westminster NHS — DuoDERM advice
Hydrocolloid gel, dressing changes and warning signs. General dressing behaviour; this leaflet concerns burns.
↑ Return to DuoDERM care - American Academy of Dermatology — wound care to minimise scars
Moist, covered healing and sun protection after closure.
↑ Return to care after closure - Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS — wound infection signs
Increasing pain, heat, redness, swelling, pus, wound opening and fever.
↑ Return to healing checks - University Hospitals Sussex NHS — minor skin surgery
Shave-procedure healing times and variation by wound location.
↑ Return to healing times - Cancer Council Australia — sunscreen advice
Broad-spectrum SPF 50 or 50+, application and reapplication.
↑ Return to sun protection - Cambridge University Hospitals NHS — silicone for scars
Silicone products for healed skin; not for open or weeping wounds.
↑ Return to scar care - American Academy of Dermatology — fading dark spots
Surface pigment can fade over 6–12 months; deeper pigment can last longer.
↑ Return to pigmentation - DermNet — post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
Skin injury, darker skin tones and SPF 50+ protection.
↑ Return to pigmentation - University Hospitals Sussex NHS — wound care following minor surgery
Activity, wound tension and irritation; restrictions vary with the procedure.
↑ Return to everyday questions - Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS — postoperative wound care
Keeping makeup off the treated area until healed.
↑ Return to everyday questions - MedlinePlus — skin lesion removal aftercare
Avoiding alcohol and peroxide, pain relief and protection from irritation.
↑ Return to daily dressing care
Sources checked: 9 October 2026 · MA360 patient aftercare