To send a link and summary of this article to a friend, click here . Even when a scar can't be completely avoided, there are ways to help it fade faster or more completely. A wound that heals quickly and neatly is less likely to develop a scar than a wound that festers. Foods high in vitamin C , such as broccoli, potatoes and citrus fruits, are thought to promote faster healing by building collagen tissue around blood vessels in the skin, says Las Vegas orthopedic surgeon Michael Rask, M.D., chairman of the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Board of Ringside Medicine and Surgery. Down the zinc .
Some experts recommend zinc -rich foods for faster healing.
Good sources of zinc include roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, Swiss and Cheddar cheeses, peanuts, dark-meat turkey and lean beef. Clean the wound daily. And don't pick at scabs. Massage with moisturizer. The massaging improves, blood flow to that area and encourages more even distribution of collagen , which results in less of a thickened scar.