Why is the skin still red at the site of my procedure?

It’s normal to have redness at the site of a procedure, either due to inflammation or as part of the normal wound healing response.

Redness at the site of a procedure or injury occurs due to increased blood flow in the area. This is a normal part of the healing and skin modelling process.

In the first days after your procedure, the skin is inflamed. There’s an increase in blood flow, and the area may be swollen. This typically resolves within a week (often much less).

After the initial wound healing phase, the skin enters a remodelling phase. During this time, the fibres and cells are re-growing, and extra blood vessels are required to supply the new cells with nutrients. The remodelling phase can last up to two years.

The extra blood flow to the area makes it appear pink compared with the surrounding skin. This colour gradually fades as the remodelling phase concludes.

Abnormal redness

Some types of redness after a skin procedure are abnormal.

Infection

Infection can occur within the first 1-2 weeks after a procedure where the skin’s surface is broken. As well as redness, the skin may be tender to touch and feel hot. The redness may spread further from the wound over time, and there may also be a discharge of pus. In more serious cases, there may be a fever. If you suspect your wound is infected, you should contact a doctor.

Scarring

Sometimes, in the wound remodelling process, small blood vessels grow excessively. This can lead to permanent redness of the scar. In this case, scar remodelling with laser or steroid injections is often helpful.

Normal redness

If the treatment area is still red several months after your procedure or treatment, it’s usually normal. Signs of normal redness:

• The colour is gradually fading over a period of months (i.e. it’s not as red as it was soon after the procedure).
• The scar feels flat (i.e. not raised and firm or soft and depressed).

In this case, the colour will almost certainly fade eventually.