Does Vitamin E Heal Wounds and Get Rid of Scars?
Vitamin E has many anecdotal reports with regard to wound healing. Many people swear by it, and it seems everyone has heard a story about vitamin E helping scarring and wound healing.
Unfortunately, the science behind the use of vitamin E with wound healing and scar improvement is not favorable. Multiple studies have compared using emollients (like petrolatum, e.g. Vaseline) to emollients with added vitamin E to see if the vitamin E group would have better healing and scar appearance after skin surgery. No study has shown any difference between a “base” emollient/cream applied to a scar versus a vitamin E cream/emollient with regard to healing or improved scar.
Furthermore, vitamin E applied topically can cause a skin reaction called dermatitis in about 20% of people. Dermatitis can actually worsen a skin condition and create more scarring. Doctors do not routinely recommend vitamin E creams or vitamin E as a topical alternative to the skin for wound healing or scar improvement.
Healing wounds properly is the first step in preventing scarring. Infections can actually contribute to more visible scars. If you already have scars, silicone gel sheeting remains the first-line treatment for normal and hypertrophic scars, and has been proven to be largely effective in a large metanalysis.
