What Not to Eat With a Wound: Do Eggs and Chicken Cause Raised Scars?
The belief in “food taboos” during wound healing (food taboos in wound healing) is the idea that once you have a wound you must avoid eggs, chicken, sticky rice, seafood or catfish, because they will inflame the wound or turn it into a raised scar or keloid (hypertrophic scar, keloid). Medically, there is no research showing that any particular food causes raised scars. On the contrary, avoiding protein foods such as eggs and chicken may slow wound healing.
Only a few things truly affect wounds: smoking, alcohol, high blood sugar in people with diabetes, foods you are allergic to, and certain supplements that make you bleed more easily before surgery. Raised scars depend on genetics, wound location, skin tension and infection. This article goes through each type of wound, tells you whether each food is allowed, what to eat to help wounds heal, and how dermatologists prevent and treat raised scars.
Do food taboos cause raised scars? A short answer from a dermatologist
The short answer is no, not for most people. The food taboo belief comes from noticing that some people ate eggs or chicken and then developed a raised scar. But most people with raised scars have other explanations, such as a family member with keloids, a wound on the chest or shoulder, or a wound that was once infected.
There is no evidence that eggs, egg whites, chicken, sticky rice, catfish or bamboo shoots cause raised scars or keloids.
There is evidence that a lack of protein, vitamin C or zinc slows wound healing, and slow-healing wounds are more likely to scar.
There is evidence that smoking, drinking alcohol and high blood sugar make wounds more likely to become infected and heal more slowly.
The only food exception is a food you are allergic to, such as shrimp or egg allergy, because an allergic rash makes you itch and scratch until the wound becomes inflamed.
What really causes raised scars and keloids?
Every wound heals in 3 phases: the inflammatory phase in the first 2–5 days, the new tissue-building phase from about 3 days to 3 weeks, and the collagen remodeling phase, which lasts 6 months to 1–2 years. A raised scar forms when the body makes too much collagen in the last phase. The factors that truly matter are:
Genetics and skin tone: People with darker skin and people of Asian descent develop keloids more often than people with fair skin, and if a parent or sibling has keloids, the chance is clearly higher.
Age: Most common between ages 10 and 30, when the skin makes collagen readily.
Location: The middle of the chest, shoulders, upper back, earlobes and jawline are common sites because the skin is tight or constantly moving.
Wound tension: Wounds that cross the direction the skin stretches, or wounds over joints, are more likely to become raised.
Infection and slow healing: Wounds that take longer than 2–3 weeks to close are much more likely to become raised scars.
Type of wound: Deep burns, severe inflamed acne, ear piercings, and surgical wounds on the chest.
Food is not on this list, except in the sense that eating too little makes wounds heal slowly.
Fresh wounds, scrapes and ordinary cuts
What it looks like: A shallow wound from a fall, a scrape or a sharp object. Bleeding stops on its own and the edges do not gape.
Cause: Everyday accidents. A scrape that is cared for properly usually closes in 7–10 days and mostly does not become a raised scar.
Severity/urgency: Not dangerous. The factors that more often leave a mark are picking at the scab, letting the wound dry out and crack, and sun exposure while the wound is still red.
When to see a doctor: A wound deep enough to show fat, edges that gape more than 5 millimeters, a wound on the face or over a joint, a very dirty wound or an animal bite, or if you are not sure your tetanus vaccination has been up to date within the last 10 years.
About food: Eat normally, including eggs and chicken. You do not need to avoid any food except those you are allergic to. For how to wash and cover a wound correctly, read How to clean a scrape properly.
Stitched wounds and surgical wounds
What it looks like: A wound closed with stitches by a doctor, with the edges together. There may be slight swelling and redness around the stitches in the first 2–3 days.
Cause: Accidents, surgery to remove a lump or a mole, or major surgery. An uninfected stitched wound usually knits firmly enough for stitches to be removed after 5–7 days on the face, 7–10 days on the scalp, and 10–14 days on the trunk, arms, legs or joints.
Severity/urgency: Mostly not dangerous. The main risks are the wound opening up and infection, which are linked to smoking, diabetes, obesity and lifting heavy things before the wound has healed firmly.
When to see a doctor: The wound opens, pus seeps out, pain gets worse after day 3, you have a fever, or redness spreads more than 2 centimeters from the wound.
About food: No food needs to be avoided for fear that it will make a stitched wound raised. What you should actually do is: avoid smoking for at least 4 weeks before and after surgery if you can, avoid alcohol while the wound has not yet healed, eat enough protein at every meal, and if you have diabetes, control your blood sugar as your doctor advises. For diet after abdominal surgery, mainly follow the advice of the operating surgeon, because that is about the bowel, not the skin wound.
Inflamed, pus-filled or infected wounds
What it looks like: A wound that is swollen, red, warm and more tender instead of getting better, with pus or cloudy fluid, a foul smell, or honey-yellow crusts.
Cause: Skin bacteria, mostly Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus, entering through a dirty wound, a picked-at wound, or a wound in a person with low immunity.
Severity/urgency: A superficial skin infection can be treated with a topical medicine, but if the redness spreads widely or red streaks run up an arm or leg, it may be cellulitis (cellulitis), which needs oral antibiotics and, in some cases, injections.
When to see a doctor: A fever of 38 degrees Celsius or higher, redness that widens within 24 hours, pain so severe you cannot sleep, or if you have diabetes, are elderly or take immunosuppressive medicine, see a doctor the same day. Read more about the symptoms at Cellulitis and Bacterial skin sores (impetigo).
About food: Avoiding eggs, chicken or seafood does not make pus go down. What helps is cleaning the wound, antibiotics prescribed by a doctor, and eating enough. If you have diabetes, keeping blood sugar close to the target your doctor sets directly affects how an infected wound heals.
Raised scar (hypertrophic scar)
What it looks like: A scar that is raised, red and firm, staying within the boundary of the original wound. It usually starts to rise in weeks 4–8 after the wound closes and may itch or feel tight.
Cause: Too much collagen made in the remodeling phase. Common in slow-healing wounds, infected wounds, wounds over joints and deep burns.
Severity/urgency: Not dangerous, and many gradually flatten on their own within 6–24 months, but if care starts early the scar will be smoother and take less time.
When to see a doctor: When the wound starts to rise and turn clearly red in months 1–2, when it is over a joint and limits movement, or when it itches so much that you scratch. The earlier treatment starts, the better the result compared with waiting until the scar has hardened.
About food: Raised scars are not caused by eggs or chicken, and avoiding these foods after the scar has risen will not make it shrink. For how to choose a scar cream, read Which scar cream works.
Keloid (keloid)
What it looks like: A shiny raised lump, red to purple or brown, that grows beyond the edge of the original wound like a growth spreading sideways. It often itches or stings, and is common on the chest, shoulders, earlobes after piercing, and the jawline.
Cause: A clear genetic basis. Some people develop keloids from a very small wound, such as a pimple or a mosquito bite, while another person with a larger wound does not.
Severity/urgency: It is not cancer, but it rarely goes down on its own, and cutting it out alone has a very high chance of recurrence, with most reports between 45% and 100%, so a combination of treatments is needed.
When to see a doctor: As soon as you see a lump growing beyond the wound edge, and before any new surgery or ear piercing if you know that you or your family have keloids. The difference between the two is explained at How keloids differ from raised scars.
About food: People with keloids are often told to avoid eggs for life, which has no evidence behind it. Avoiding eggs does not prevent new keloids and does not make an existing keloid smaller. What truly prevents them is avoiding unnecessary wounds, such as ear piercing or squeezing pimples on the chest, and treating wounds early.
Slow-healing wounds in people with diabetes
What it looks like: A small wound on the foot or leg that does not close after 2–4 weeks. Some people feel no pain because of nerve damage.
Cause: High blood sugar reduces white blood cell function and collagen production, together with reduced blood flow to the feet. Research in surgical patients found that blood sugar above 180–200 milligrams per deciliter is linked to more wound infections.
Severity/urgency: Higher than for the general population. A foot wound in a person with diabetes can spread fast and carries a risk of toe or foot amputation.
When to see a doctor: Any foot wound that does not improve within 1 week, or has swelling, redness, pus, a smell, or darkening of the surrounding skin. Read more about skin problems in people with diabetes at Skin conditions from diabetes and Chronic wounds that will not heal.
About food: This is the only group in which food clearly affects wounds. But what needs to be controlled is large amounts of sugar and starch, not eggs or chicken. Sticky rice is not a taboo food in itself, but one large pack of sticky rice can push blood sugar up, while eggs and chicken do not raise blood sugar and supply the protein the wound needs.
Burns and scalds
What it looks like: A red, stinging wound, sometimes with blisters. A deeper burn has a pale white or brown base and hurts less than expected.
Cause: Heat from water, oil, steam or hot objects. Shallow burns usually heal in 10–14 days, while a burn that takes longer than 3 weeks is highly likely to become a raised scar.
Severity/urgency: Depends on depth and size. A burn larger than the palm, or on the face, hands, feet, genitals or a joint, should be assessed the same day.
When to see a doctor: Large blisters, a burn with a pale white base, a burn that does not improve within 1 week, or a fever. For how to care for each level of burn, read What to apply on a scald.
About food: A large burn makes the body need more energy and protein than usual. Avoiding eggs and chicken during this time is therefore directly harmful.
Can I eat eggs and egg whites with a wound?
Yes, you can. Eggs are one of the most available and easily digested sources of protein. One chicken egg provides about 6 grams of protein, about 3.5 grams of which is in the egg white, which the body uses to build collagen and new wound tissue. No research has shown that eating eggs causes raised scars, keloids or wound inflammation.
There are only 2 cautions: people with an egg allergy, who should avoid eggs anyway, and people whose doctor restricts protein, such as those with end-stage kidney disease, who should eat the amount their doctor or dietitian recommends. Most people can eat 1–2 eggs a day as usual while a wound is healing.
Can I eat chicken with a wound?
Yes, you can. 100 grams of chicken breast provides about 25–30 grams of protein and contains zinc, which skin cells need in order to divide. The belief that chicken makes a wound itchy or raised has no evidence behind it. Itching while a wound heals is normal in the new tissue-building phase and has nothing to do with the meal before.
What matters is the cooking method. Boiled, grilled or steamed chicken is better than deep-fried chicken, which is high in energy but has less protein per bite, and chicken should be cooked through.
Can I eat shrimp, seafood and catfish?
Yes, if you are not allergic. Fish and seafood are good-quality protein. Well-cooked catfish does not inflame a wound. The belief about catfish comes from the look of the fish and word of mouth, not from any study.
People allergic to shrimp, crab or fish should avoid them as before, because hives and itching lead to scratching until the wound is scraped open or infected.
People who are not allergic can eat them as usual, but choose cooked seafood and avoid raw or undercooked seafood while you have a large wound, because that is about food hygiene, not about scars.
Sticky rice, bamboo shoots, fermented foods and spicy food
This group has long been classed as taboo foods in Thai belief, but there is no evidence that they cause raised scars.
Sticky rice: A starch just like steamed rice. It does not make wounds fill with pus, but people with diabetes should control the amount because it raises blood sugar quickly.
Bamboo shoots: Unrelated to scars. The caution is that canned bamboo shoots packed unhygienically may be contaminated with germs that cause food poisoning, which is a general food safety issue.
Pickled and fermented foods, fermented fish: They do not inflame wounds. The cautions are high salt and the cleanliness of the fermenting process.
Spicy food: No effect on a skin wound, but if the wound is inside the mouth or on the lips, very spicy food will make it sting more.
Organ meats: They do not cause raised scars and are high in iron and zinc, but they are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, so should not be eaten in large amounts.
What you should truly avoid, based on evidence
If you want wounds to heal quickly and scars to be smooth, only a few things have evidence supporting avoiding or controlling them.
Cigarettes and e-cigarettes: Nicotine narrows blood vessels so less oxygen reaches the wound. Research shows that stopping smoking at least 4 weeks before surgery clearly reduces wound complications.
Alcohol: It reduces immune function and collagen production. Avoid it while the wound has not fully closed, generally about 2–4 weeks, or longer for a large wound.
Sugar in people with diabetes: Keep blood sugar at the target set by your own doctor, and cut down on sweet drinks, desserts and large amounts of starch.
Foods you are allergic to: An allergic rash makes you scratch until the wound is bruised and infected.
Raw or unhygienically prepared food: Avoid it while you have a large wound or low immunity.
Supplements and herbs to tell your doctor about before surgery
Some supplements do not cause raised scars, but make you bleed more easily during and after surgery, leading to blood collecting in the wound, swelling and slow healing. Surgeons usually ask you to stop about 7–14 days before surgery. Common ones include:
High-dose fish oil (fish oil)
High-dose vitamin E
Ginkgo (ginkgo)
Garlic extract tablets
Ginseng
Do not stop antiplatelet or anticoagulant medicines on your own, such as aspirin (aspirin), clopidogrel (clopidogrel) or warfarin (warfarin), because of the risk of stroke or heart blockage. Tell your operating doctor and your regular doctor so they can plan together.
What to eat to help wounds heal faster
A wound needs raw materials to repair itself. Eating a full range of foods matters more than avoiding foods.
Protein: Healthy adults need about 0.8–1 gram per kilogram of body weight per day. For people with a large wound, pressure sore or burn, wound care guidelines suggest about 1.25–1.5 grams per kilogram per day. For example, a person weighing 60 kilograms with a large wound should get about 75–90 grams of protein a day, which can come from 2 eggs, 1 large piece of chicken breast, 1 piece of fish, milk or soy milk, and tofu, spread across every meal, except for people whose doctor restricts protein.
Vitamin C: Needed to build collagen. Adults need about 75–100 milligrams per day, available from half a guava, 1–2 oranges or a plate of papaya. High-dose vitamin C tablets do not make wounds heal faster in people who are not deficient.
Zinc: Adults need about 8–11 milligrams per day, available from meat, seafood, nuts and grains. Zinc supplements help only people who are truly deficient, and taking more than 40 milligrams per day for a long time can cause copper deficiency.
Energy and fluids: Eat enough, do not skip meals to lose weight while a wound has not healed, and drink enough water.
Preventing raised scars after the wound closes
What helps scars stay smooth is wound care, not avoiding foods.
Wash the wound with clean water or saline and apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly (petrolatum), then cover it. Keep the wound moist until it closes. You do not need to wash it daily with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, because they damage the cells that are repairing the wound.
Do not pick the scab and do not scratch.
Start silicone once the wound is fully closed, usually about 1–2 weeks after stitches are removed. Apply silicone gel (silicone gel) in a thin layer twice a day, or wear a silicone sheet for 12–24 hours a day, continuously for at least 2–3 months.
Reduce wound tension with paper surgical tape along the wound for about 6–12 weeks for surgical wounds on the chest or over joints, as your doctor advises.
Use SPF 30 or higher sunscreen every day for at least 6 months, or cover with clothing, to reduce dark and red marks that linger.
Wear a pressure garment for extensive burns, generally 23 hours a day for 6–12 months, as your doctor specifies.
If you have had keloids, tell your doctor before every surgery so prevention can be planned from day one.
Treatments doctors use for raised scars and keloids
Once a scar has risen, avoiding foods will not make it flatten. The treatments dermatologists use are as follows, and more than one is often used together.
Steroid injection into the scar: Triamcinolone acetonide (triamcinolone acetonide) at about 10–40 milligrams per milliliter, injected every 4–6 weeks, most often needing 3–6 injections. It helps the scar flatten, soften and stop itching. Side effects to know about are indented skin around the scar, lighter skin color and visible tiny blood vessels, so the dose is adjusted according to response.
5-fluorouracil injection (5-fluorouracil): Used together with steroids for keloids that resist steroid injection alone.
Silicone gel or sheets: Used continuously for at least 2–3 months, both before and after injections.
Vascular laser: Helps reduce the redness of a new scar, usually done several times, 4–6 weeks apart.
Fractional laser: Helps refine the surface of a hard or rough scar. Results differ from person to person and usually need several sessions.
Surgical removal of a keloid: Used for large lumps, but must always be followed by injections or other supplementary treatment, because removal alone very often recurs.
Every method has side effects and limits, and results differ from person to person. Choosing the method, the dose and the number of sessions must be assessed by a doctor based on the type, location and age of the scar. To read about scar treatment at the clinic, see Scar treatment with a dermatologist.
Myth versus evidence
Eggs, egg whites: Belief that they make wounds raised → no evidence. They are protein the wound needs. Safe to eat, except with egg allergy.
Chicken: Belief that it makes wounds itchy and raised → no evidence. Safe to eat; choose boiled, grilled or steamed.
Shrimp, seafood: Belief that they inflame wounds → harm occurs only in people who are allergic.
Catfish: Belief that it makes wounds fill with pus → no evidence. Safe to eat when cooked through.
Sticky rice: Belief that it makes wounds fill with pus → no evidence. People with diabetes should control the amount.
Cigarettes: There is evidence of slower healing and easier infection → should be avoided.
Alcohol: There is evidence of slower healing → should be avoided while the wound has not closed.
Genetics and wound location: The main determinants of keloids → prevent by caring for the wound from the start.
In short
No food has been proven to cause raised scars or keloids. Eggs, chicken, catfish and sticky rice can be eaten.
Avoid only foods you are allergic to, and avoid cigarettes and alcohol while the wound has not healed.
People with diabetes need to control blood sugar, because high sugar makes wounds infected and slow to heal.
Eat enough protein at every meal, together with fruit and vegetables that contain vitamin C.
Raised scars depend on genetics, location, tension and infection. Prevent them with wound care, silicone and sunscreen.
A wound that starts to rise and redden in months 1–2, or a lump that grows beyond the wound edge, should be assessed early by a dermatologist.
Frequently asked questions about what not to eat with a wound
Can I eat eggs with a wound?
Yes. Eggs do not cause raised scars or wound inflammation. No research shows this link. One egg provides about 6 grams of protein, which the wound needs to build new tissue, so avoiding eggs may slow healing in people who already eat little protein. People who should avoid them are those with an egg allergy and those whose doctor restricts protein, such as people with end-stage kidney disease. Everyone else can eat 1–2 eggs a day while a wound heals, whether boiled, steamed or as an omelet made with little oil.
Can I eat chicken with a wound?
Yes. Chicken is a source of protein and zinc that helps wound repair. 100 grams of chicken breast provides about 25–30 grams of protein. The belief that chicken makes a wound itchy or raised has no evidence behind it. Itching while a wound heals is a normal part of the phase when skin is building new tissue, and is not caused by food. Choose boiled, grilled or steamed chicken, cook it through, and cut down on greasy fried chicken. If the wound itches so much that you scratch, talk to a doctor about a topical or oral medicine to relieve the itch.
Can I eat catfish with a wound?
Yes, if you are not allergic to fish and it is cooked through. No study supports the belief that catfish makes a wound fill with pus or become a raised scar. Catfish provides protein like other fish. A pus-filled wound is caused by bacteria entering through the wound, not by food. What to watch out for is undercooked or unclean fish, and people with a history of fish allergy, who should avoid it as before. If you get hives, swollen lips or difficulty breathing after eating, stop eating and see a doctor immediately.
What can't I eat with stitches?
No food needs to be avoided for fear that it will make a stitched wound raised or open up. What you should actually avoid is cigarettes, for at least 4 weeks before and after surgery if you can, and alcohol while the wound has not yet healed. Eat enough protein at every meal, control your blood sugar if you have diabetes, and avoid foods you are allergic to. For surgical wounds in the abdomen or bowel, follow the operating surgeon's dietary advice, because that is about recovery of the bowel. Have the stitches removed at your appointment, generally 5–7 days on the face and 10–14 days on the trunk, arms or legs.
What can't I eat with an inflamed, pus-filled wound?
Avoiding eggs, chicken or seafood does not make pus go down. A pus-filled wound is caused by bacteria and needs treatment with wound cleaning, dressing and antibiotics prescribed by a doctor. For a superficial infection, a doctor may use 2% mupirocin (mupirocin) ointment 3 times a day for about 5–7 days. If redness spreads or there is a fever, oral medicine such as cephalexin (cephalexin) may be needed, at the dose your doctor specifies. In the meantime, eat enough protein and drink enough water. People with diabetes must control their blood sugar, and should see a doctor immediately if they have a fever or redness that widens within 24 hours.
What should I eat to help a surgical wound heal faster?
Eat enough protein at every meal, such as eggs, chicken, fish, tofu, milk or soy milk. People with a large wound need about 1.25–1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, except for people whose doctor restricts protein. Eat fruit and vegetables that contain vitamin C, such as guava, oranges and papaya, and get zinc from meat, nuts and grains. Drink enough water and avoid cigarettes and alcohol. You do not need high-dose vitamins or supplements if you are not deficient, and tell your doctor before surgery if you take fish oil, ginkgo or garlic extract, because they make you bleed more easily.
Related reading: Scar creams · Keloids and raised scars · Scrapes · Scalds · Chronic wounds · Cellulitis · For other skin conditions, see the skin conditions article index
This article provides general medical information and is not a substitute for diagnosis by a doctor. The choice of medicine, dose and scar treatment method depends on the examining doctor.
Written by Dr. Patara Voravutinon, Dermatologist · Last reviewed November 11, 2026
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