The Effects of Vitamin C on Wound Healing—Systematic Review

Vitamin C may have positive effects on wound healing and improve quality of life and the recovery process. A systematic review was done to study the effects of vitamin C on the healing of wounds and thereby hasten rehabilitation. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials on the effects of vitamin C were searched for using PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library. Data was collected, analyzed, and assessed for risks of bias using Cochrane review protocols and tools. A total of 24 trials were procured, but after excluding 21 that did not meet the criteria, only three trials could be analyzed. Overall, addition of vitamin C was noted to have 3.94 times likelihood of acquiring quicker recovery process as compared to placebo (OR 3.99, 95% CI 2.06 to 7.73), but there was no difference in pain (p > 0.05). Overall quality of evidence was good, with low risk of bias. Evidence shows that vitamin C promotes wound healing by hastening recovery and attaining high leucocyte ascorbic acid levels. It is recommended to use vitamin C for wound healing while waiting for more RCTs to strengthen this evidence.