What vitamins are important for wound healing?

Vitamins A, B, C and E, along with iron, zinc, protein and carbohydrate, are what a well-balanced diet should include while a wound heals. They are part of a diet, not supplements.

The answer is part of a bigger point about diet, and that framing matters as much as the list.

A well-balanced diet is essential for keeping your skin healthy and helping the wound heal. In particular, that diet should include vitamins A, B, C and E, iron and zinc, proteins and carbohydrates.

So the short answer is vitamins A, B, C and E. But they aren’t isolated nutrients to be topped up. They sit inside a list that also includes minerals, protein and carbohydrate, as part of a balanced diet rather than as a treatment.

Body weight matters alongside this. Significant weight loss or weight gain, as well as not getting enough protein, fluids, energy and vitamins, do affect how a wound heals. Fluids and energy are easy to overlook and are on that list for a reason.

Looking at it from the other direction, poor nutrition is one of the factors that impede healing.

This page does not recommend supplements or doses. Choosing to take anything — especially if you have kidney problems, take other medicines, or are managing diabetes — is a conversation to have with a clinician or dietitian, not a decision to make from a list.

What to watch for

A well-balanced diet is essential for keeping skin healthy and helping wounds heal. It should include vitamins A, B, C and E, iron, zinc, proteins and carbohydrates.

Significant weight loss or gain, and not getting enough protein, fluids, energy and vitamins, affect wound healing.

No doses or supplement recommendations are given here. If you are thinking about taking something, ask the person treating your wound first.

Wound Wizard is general education and can’t assess your wound or your situation. Your own clinician is the right person to ask about your wound.

What we look at

  • Asking about diet and appetite as part of the assessment
  • Noticing significant weight loss or gain
  • Referring to a dietitian where that would help
  • Reviewing anything you are already taking

Sources

  1. Wound Q&A for patients and relatives — European Wound Management Association https://ewma.org/resources-for-patients-private-carers/wound-qa-for-patients-and-relatives/
  2. Wound care centers — MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000739.htm