Summary
Background :
Post-surgical skin healing can lead to different types of scars, ranging from a fine line to pathological scars, in relation to the patient’s intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
Although the role of nutrition in influencing skin healing is known, no previous studies investigated whether a vegan diet can affect post-surgical wounds.
Aim:
The objective of this study was to compare surgical scars between omnivorous and vegan patients.
Methods and materials:
This is a prospective observational study .
Twenty-one omnivorous and 21 vegan patients who underwent surgical excision of non-melanoma skin cancer were enrolled.
Postoperative complications and scar quality were evaluated using the modified Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating (SCAR) scale.
Results:
Vegans showed significantly lower mean serum iron (p < .001) and vitamin B12 (p < .001). Wound diastasis was more common in vegans (p = 0.008).
After 6 months, vegan patients had a higher modified SCAR score than omnivores (p < .001), showing the worst scar extent (p < .001), more frequent atrophic scars (p < .001), and worse general impression (p <.001) <0.001).
Conclusion: This study suggests that a vegan diet may negatively influence the outcome of surgical scars. |
