Does vitamin A help wound healing?

Nobody can say yet, because it has not been tested. We found no randomized trial and no meta-analysis of vitamin A on its own for any kind of wound. The closest evidence is a 2024 Cochrane review of mixed supplements. In 3 trials of 577 people with pressure ulcers, drinks combining energy, protein and micronutrients healed 366 ulcers per 1000 against 253 per 1000 on a standard diet, on low-certainty evidence. The vitamin A share of that effect cannot be separated out.

Unsettled. A 2025 systematic review of 190 studies on micronutrients and wound healing ends where this page does. Its authors write that therapeutic studies are still needed to establish whether vitamin A supplements work for wounds, how safe they are, and at what dose. Laboratory and animal work suggests retinoids can undo the slower healing that corticosteroids cause, by raising growth factors and collagen. That is a mechanism, and it has not been turned into a trial result in people.

What the trials found

Pressure ulcers, with a formula rather than a vitamin

The 2024 Cochrane review pooled 33 randomized trials of nutrition for pressure ulcers. For people who already had an ulcer, supplements of energy, protein and micronutrients may slightly raise the share that heal, with a risk ratio of 1.45 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.85) on low-certainty evidence. For prevention the answer was close to nothing. In 3 trials of 1634 people at risk, 248 per 1000 developed an ulcer on the supplements against 269 per 1000 on a standard diet, with a risk ratio of 0.92 (95% CI 0.71 to 1.19). No arm in either analysis gave vitamin A alone.

A 2024 systematic review of 9 studies in 741 adults with chronic wounds points the same way, and with the same limit. Four studies found smaller wounds and faster healing with a high-calorie, high-protein drink enriched with zinc and vitamins A, C and E. Two found no difference. There was no pooled estimate, and the formula effect cannot be split into its parts.

Diabetic foot ulcers

A 2020 Cochrane review of 9 trials in 629 people with diabetic foot ulcers found no trial of vitamin A among the nutrients tested. The nearest test was a protein drink with added vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Whether it helped ulcers heal at six months is uncertain, with a risk ratio of 0.80 (95% CI 0.42 to 1.53) on very low-certainty evidence. In a randomized trial of 26 people with diabetic foot ulcers, a hydrogel containing vitamins A and E did no better than a simple dressing over 12 weeks. Only 19 of them finished, and the dressing effect cannot be separated from the vitamins.

Vitamin A put on the wound

In a controlled trial of 30 patients after sinus surgery, the side of the nose treated with topical vitamin A had lower scarring and adhesion scores at 12 months than the untreated side, 0.23 against 0.53. It was small, single center and single blind, and it was about the lining of the airway rather than skin or anything swallowed.

Reviews that count studies

A 2021 systematic review of 36 vitamin and mineral wound studies in 2339 patients reported better outcomes with vitamin A in burns and in diabetic ulcers. It counted studies with a good result and did not pool them, and vitamin A was rarely given alone. A 2025 review of people with diabetic foot ulcers found that low levels of vitamins D, C and A went along with more severe symptoms. That is an association. Low vitamin A may simply mark poor nutrition in general.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. High-dose vitamin A is the part of this question with real harm in it. NIH advises women who are or might be pregnant, and those breastfeeding, not to take more than 3,000 mcg RAE (10,000 IU) of vitamin A supplements a day, because of the risk of birth defects. If someone suggests high-dose vitamin A to help you heal after surgery and you could be pregnant, that limit applies.

The adult upper limit for preformed vitamin A is 3,000 mcg RAE, and it counts food and supplements together. It was set from the amounts linked to liver damage, birth defects and toxic effects in infants and children. A 2026 review of 31 case-based reports of vitamin A toxicity found most cases came from capsules or tablets. High blood calcium was the most common harm, in 29.0% of them, and case reports show what can happen without telling you how often.

Topical retinoids are a separate question from wounds, and they have their own costs. A 2026 meta-analysis of 89 studies in 10,794 people who used vitamin A products on the face or around the eyes found higher odds of pain (OR 6.37), dryness (OR 2.69) and burning (OR 2.44), on very low to low certainty evidence. Serious harms were not more common.

Isotretinoin, the retinoid acne drug, used to mean waiting before any skin procedure. A 2017 systematic review with expert consensus, covering 32 reports and 1485 procedures, found no good evidence to delay most skin surgery, superficial peels, laser hair removal or fractional lasers during treatment. It still advised against mechanical dermabrasion and fully ablative laser. Isotretinoin is a drug, and that finding says nothing about vitamin A from food.

What expert bodies say

We found no expert body that recommends vitamin A to speed wound healing. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet on vitamin A has no passage on wounds. What it does set out is the upper limit and the warning for pregnancy above. The two Cochrane reviews rate their own findings low to very low certainty, and the 2025 review states plainly that dose and safety for wounds have not been established.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A randomized trial of oral vitamin A alone, at a stated dose, in people with a defined wound type such as pressure ulcers or burns. We found none, and ClinicalTrials.gov showed nothing registered.
• A trial in people whose healing is slowed by corticosteroids. That is where the laboratory and animal evidence points, and it is the group where a human trial would most likely show something.
• A trial that selects people with low vitamin A. The diabetic foot ulcer data link low levels with worse symptoms, and only a trial could show whether raising them changes healing.
• Dose and safety data for wound use. Until those exist, the upper limit and the pregnancy warning are the only firm numbers on this page.

Sources

1. ev-vawh-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of 33 RCTs (7920 participants) · n = 577
   Compared to standard diet, energy, protein and micronutrient supplements may slightly increase the number of healed pressure ulcers (energy, protein and micronutrients 366 per 1000, standard diet 253 per 1000; RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.85; 3 studies, 577 participants, low-certainty evidence).
   
   Who: people with existing pressure ulcers, randomized trials of energy, protein and micronutrient supplements versus standard diet
   Effect: healed pressure ulcers RR 1.45 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.85); 3 studies; low-certainty evidence
   Certainty: mixed formulas; the vitamin A share cannot be separated, and no arm tested vitamin A alone
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-vawh-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 1634
   Compared to standard diet, energy, protein and micronutrient supplements may result in little to no difference in the proportion of participants developing a pressure ulcer (energy, protein and micronutrient supplements 248 per 1000, standard diet 269 per 1000; RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.19; 3 studies, 1634 participants; low-certainty evidence).
   
   Who: people at risk of pressure ulcers, randomized prevention trials
   Effect: new pressure ulcers 248 vs 269 per 1000; RR 0.92 (95% CI 0.71 to 1.19); low-certainty evidence
   Certainty: mixed formulas; prevention rather than treatment
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-vawh-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · Cochrane systematic review of 9 RCTs · n = 629
   It is uncertain whether oral nutritional supplement with 20 g protein per 200 mL bottle, 1 kcal/mL, nutritional supplement with added vitamins, minerals and trace elements, increases the proportion of ulcers healed at six months more than placebo (risk ratio (RR) 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42 to 1.53).
   
   Who: people with diabetes and foot ulcers; trials of protein drinks, arginine mixes, zinc, magnesium, omega-3, vitamin E and vitamin D
   Effect: protein drink with vitamins, minerals and trace elements vs placebo, ulcers healed at 6 months RR 0.80 (95% CI 0.42 to 1.53); all evidence very low certainty
   Certainty: the list of tested interventions has no vitamin A arm; the vitamin-enriched drink is the closest test
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
4. ev-vawh-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis, 75% randomized controlled trials · n = 10,794
   Compared with controls, topical vitamin A derivatives increased odds of pain (OR = 6.37), dryness (OR = 2.69), burning (OR = 2.44), and any harm (OR = 1.71).
   
   Who: adults using topical vitamin A derivatives (tretinoin, retinol, retinyl esters) on the ocular surface or periorbital region
   Effect: pain OR 6.37; dryness OR 2.69; burning OR 2.44; any harm OR 1.71; serious adverse events OR 1.21 (not significant); very low to low certainty
   Certainty: about skin and eye irritation of topical retinoids, not about wounds; prescription-strength products carried more harm
   Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-vawh-05 · Observational data · within-subject controlled, single-blind trial · n = 30
   The mean (standard deviation {SD}) scores for scarring/adhesion in the VA-treated side at 3 and 12 months after surgery (0.20 ± 0.40 and 0.23 ± 0.42, respectively) were significantly lower than those in the controls (0.47 ± 0.50 and 0.53 ± 0.62, respectively).
   
   Who: patients with chronic rhinosinusitis undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery, vitamin A applied on one side
   Effect: scarring/adhesion score at 12 months 0.23 vs 0.53; larger antrostomy 0.70 vs 0.57 cm2
   Certainty: abstract calls it a within-subject control study and does not say the treated side was randomized; small, single center; topical use on airway mucosa, not oral vitamin A or skin wounds
   Am J Rhinol Allergy, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-vawh-06 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · single-blind randomized controlled trial · n = 26
   No statistically significant differences were found in any of the outcomes (lesion area and PUSH subscores) between the groups.
   
   Who: patients with diabetic foot ulcers, hydrogel with sodium alginate and vitamins A and E vs cleaning and simple dressing, 12 weeks
   Effect: no significant difference in lesion area or PUSH subscores; 19 completed
   Certainty: tiny trial with high dropout; vitamin A effect cannot be separated from the dressing
   Wounds, 2022 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-vawh-07 · Observational data · systematic review of mixed study designs without meta-analysis · n = 2339
   Improved outcomes were reported in patients with burn wounds receiving vitamins A, B1, B6, B12, D, and E and zinc, calcium, copper, magnesium, selenium, and zinc; patients with pressure ulcers receiving vitamin C and zinc; patients with diabetic ulcers receiving vitamin A, B9, D, and E; patients with venous ulcers receiving zinc; and patients with hypertrophic scars receiving vitamin E.
   
   Who: patients with burns, pressure ulcers, diabetic and venous ulcers, skin incisions, scars and sinonasal wounds
   Effect: improved outcomes reported for vitamin A among other nutrients in burns and diabetic ulcers; no pooled effect size
   Certainty: vote counting across mixed designs; no pooled estimate; vitamin A rarely given alone
   Plast Reconstr Surg, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-vawh-08 · Observational data · systematic review of oral nutritional supplement studies without meta-analysis · n = 741
   Notably, four studies reported a reduction in wound area and an increased healing rate with a hypercaloric, hyperproteic formula enriched with zinc and vitamins A, C, and E.
   
   Who: adults aged 52 to 81.7 with pressure injuries, diabetic foot ulcers or venous ulcers, 2 to 16 weeks
   Effect: 4 studies: smaller wound area and faster healing; 2 studies: no difference vs control; no pooled estimate
   Certainty: formula effect; vitamin A share cannot be isolated
   Nutrition, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-vawh-09 · Observational data · systematic review of randomized and observational studies · n = —
   The findings revealed a notable correlation between deficiencies in vitamins D, C, A and the severity of clinical symptoms.
   
   Who: patients with diabetic foot ulcers
   Effect: deficiencies of vitamins D, C and A correlated with clinical severity; no effect size in abstract
   Certainty: association only; low vitamin A may mark poor general nutrition rather than cause poor healing
   Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-vawh-10 · Laboratory or animal data · systematic review section summarizing mechanistic studies · n = —
    Retinoids counteract these effects by increasing the synthesis of TGF-β, IGF-I, and collagen, thereby improving the healing process [11].
    
    Who: mechanistic and animal studies summarized in a 2025 systematic review
    Effect: retinoids increase TGF-beta, IGF-I and collagen synthesis that corticosteroids suppress; no human effect size
    Certainty: mechanism; the classic human data (Hunt 1969) could not be read
    Molecules, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
11. ev-vawh-11 · Observational data · systematic review of mixed designs · n = 190 studies
    Therapeutic studies are needed to establish the efficacy and safety of vitamin A supplementation in the context of wound healing, and further research is needed to establish optimal dosage and safety guidelines.
    
    Who: 190 studies, molecular, animal, randomized and observational
    Effect: no established efficacy, dose or safety range for vitamin A in wound healing
    Certainty: statement of the evidence gap
    Molecules, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
12. ev-vawh-12 · Observational data · systematic review with graded evidence and expert consensus · n = 1485 procedures
    There was insufficient evidence to support delaying manual dermabrasion, superficial chemical peels, cutaneous surgery, laser hair removal, and fractional ablative and nonablative laser procedures for patients currently receiving or having recently completed isotretinoin therapy.
    
    Who: patients on or recently off oral isotretinoin undergoing skin procedures
    Effect: insufficient evidence to delay surgery, superficial peels, laser hair removal, fractional lasers; mechanical dermabrasion and fully ablative laser not recommended
    Certainty: isotretinoin is a retinoid drug, not dietary vitamin A; the old delay rule rested on 3 small case series
    JAMA Dermatology · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
13. ev-vawh-13 · Laboratory or animal data · systematic review of case reports and case series · n = 31 studies
    The most common adverse effect was hypercalcemia (n = 9, 29.0%), followed by gastrointestinal manifestations (n = 8, 25.8%), neurological manifestations (n = 7, 22.6%), hepatobiliary manifestations (n = 7, 22.6%), musculoskeletal manifestations (n = 6, 19.4%), and dermatological manifestations (n = 5, 16.1%).
    
    Who: people with hypervitaminosis A, mostly case reports
    Effect: source: vitamin A capsules or tablets 67.7%; hypercalcemia 29.0%, gastrointestinal 25.8%, neurological 22.6%, liver 22.6%
    Certainty: case reports cannot give a rate; they show what high-dose self-treatment can do
    Clin Chim Acta, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
14. ev-vawh-14 · Position of an expert body · government fact sheet · n = —
    Experts advise women who are or might be pregnant and those who are lactating not to take high doses (more than 3,000 mcg RAE [10,000 IU] daily) of vitamin A supplements [1].
    
    Who: women who are or might be pregnant and lactating women
    Effect: avoid supplemental vitamin A above 3,000 mcg RAE (10,000 IU) a day because of birth defect risk
    Certainty: relevant because high-dose vitamin A is sometimes suggested for healing after surgery
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A and Carotenoids Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
15. ev-vawh-15 · Position of an expert body · government fact sheet · n = —
    The FNB based these ULs on the amounts associated with an increased risk of liver abnormalities in men and women, teratogenic effects, and several toxic effects in infants and children.
    
    Who: all age groups; adult UL 3,000 mcg RAE of preformed vitamin A
    Effect: UL basis: liver abnormalities, teratogenic effects, toxic effects in infants and children
    Certainty: UL numbers sit in an ODS table; this card cites the text that explains them
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A and Carotenoids Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section