Aim <p>To study the effect of active wound dressing on postoperative pain and wound healing in patients undergoing anorectal surgery (AS).</p> Methods <p>The clinical data of 110 AS patients from March 2023 to January 2024 were retrospectively screened. The study group (SG) included 55 patients who received active wound dressing post-operation, while the control group (CG) consisted of 55 patients who received conventional dressing, matched for baseline indices. Postoperative pain degree, wound healing rate, healing time, swelling disappearance time, dressing change times, granulation tissue formation time, growth factor levels, and inflammatory factor levels were compared between the groups.</p> Results <p>There were notable variations in the time effect, inter-group effect and time × inter-group effect in the postoperative pain score and wound healing rate between the two groups (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). The pain scores of the SG on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after operation were lower (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). The wound healing rate of the SG was higher on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after operation (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). The wound healing time, wound swelling disappearance time, dressing change times and granulation tissue formation time in the SG were shorter (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor in the SG were higher (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). The levels of IL -8 and TNF-α in the SG were lower (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05).</p> Conclusion <p>Active wound dressing has been shown to alleviate postoperative pain in patients undergoing AS, promote wound healing, and effectively regulate levels of growth factors and inflammatory factors.</p>