Objectives: Superficial skin papillary capillaries with blood supply from a superficial vascular plexus and regulated by local metabolic needs supply oxygen and nutrients for epithelial cell proliferation. A deep vascular plexus regulated by autonomous nerves serves body thermoregulation. In healthy volunteers, we assessed circulatory effects of a standardized skin trauma by CAVM, DRS, and LDPM to assess the measuring depth of the three techniques and to describe the acute trauma effects on nutritive and thermoregulatory perfusion. Methods: Volunteers (n=12) were examined at baseline and after induction of a 5.0 mmx1.0 mm incision on the forearm; 30 minutes after the trauma induction, data were collected at 0-1, 2-3 and 30 mm distances. Results: LDPM showed hyperemia at 2-3 mm distance (35.8 +/- 15.2 a.u.), but not at 30 mm distance (7.4 +/- 2.5 a.u.) compared to baseline (8.8 +/- 1.8 a.u.). The DRS saturation increased at 2-3 mm (71.2 +/- 4.8%), but not at 30 mm (49.8 +/- 7.9%) compared to baseline (45.8 +/- 7.4%). Capillary density and flow velocities were unaffected at all distances. Conclusions: The results indicate that skin nutritive papillary capillary function can be assessed by CAVM and DRS, but not with LDPM because of its dependence of the deep plexus perfusion.