The Effects of Topical Vitamin C on Burn Wound Healing

Abstract

Background and Aim: Topical supplements and vitamins have often been used to accelerate the healing of burn wounds. This study investigated the effects of topical application of vitamin C solution on burn wounds. Methods & Materials: This research was performed on 30 patients with extensive second-degree burns on one or two organs with similar burns. The study subjects were randomly divided into the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received topical application of vitamin C solution in addition to silver sulfadiazine ointment in the burn area; however, only silver sulfadiazine ointment was applied in the burn area in the control group. The wounds were examined and scored on days 1, 3, 7, and 14 using the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS using repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Ethical Considerations: This study was approved by the ethics committee of sabzevar university medical sciences. (Code: IR.MEDSAB.REC.1394.60). Results Eighteen of the 30 examined patients were male and 12 were female. Their Mean±SD age and body mass index were 43.03±11.90 years and 27.82±4.08 kg/m2, respectively. Conclusion: The repeated-measures ANOVA data indicated that the study groups were significantly different concerning the final mean scores given to the wounds (P=0.047). In other words, the research groups significantly differed in wound healing; thus, topical application of vitamin C significantly improved wound healing in the study participants.