Does Eating Shrimp Cause Keloids or Raised Scars?

If you’ve recently had surgery, a cosmetic procedure, or a cut that’s still healing, you may have heard that you should stop eating shrimp to avoid a raised scar. This advice is especially common in parts of Asia, where many people avoid shrimp, seafood, chicken, and sticky rice while a wound heals.

So is there any truth to it? The short answer is no. There’s no scientific evidence that eating shrimp, or any other specific food, causes keloids or raised scars. In fact, the protein in shrimp can help your skin heal. Below, we explain what really causes raised scars, when you actually should avoid shrimp, and what helps prevent and treat keloids.

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Keloids vs. Hypertrophic Scars: What’s the Difference?

Both are types of raised scars that form when the body produces too much collagen while healing a wound.

Hypertrophic scars are raised, firm scars that stay within the edges of the original wound. They’re fairly common, and they often flatten and fade on their own over a year or two.
Keloids grow beyond the edges of the original wound, sometimes becoming much larger than the injury itself. They can be itchy or painful, rarely go away without treatment, and often come back after removal.

Does Eating Shrimp Cause Keloids?

No. There’s no scientific evidence that eating shrimp causes keloids, hypertrophic scars, or slower wound healing. The belief comes from folk tradition rather than research.

Some articles claim that compounds in shrimp, such as arginine, tropomyosin, or hemocyanin, trigger abnormal scarring. This isn’t supported by evidence:

Arginine is an amino acid that actually plays a role in wound healing. It’s sometimes included in nutrition formulas designed to support recovery from wounds.
Tropomyosin is the main protein that causes shellfish allergies. It matters for people who are allergic, but it doesn’t cause scars in people who aren’t.
Hemocyanin is a protein that carries oxygen in shrimp blood. There’s no evidence that it affects human scarring.

Similarly, the idea that protein makes wounds itchy or red is incorrect. Itching is a normal part of the healing process as new tissue forms, and it happens whether or not you eat shrimp.

What Really Causes Keloids and Raised Scars?

Researchers don’t fully understand why some people develop keloids, but several factors clearly raise the risk:

Genetics: Keloids often run in families. If you’ve had a keloid before, you’re more likely to get another.
Skin tone: Keloids are more common in people with darker skin, including people of African, Asian, and Hispanic descent.
Age: They’re most common between the ages of 10 and 30.
Location: The chest, shoulders, upper back, and earlobes are especially prone to keloids.
Wound tension and healing: Wounds under tension, wounds that get infected, and wounds that heal slowly are more likely to scar badly.
Type of injury: Keloids can form after surgery, piercings, burns, acne, tattoos, insect bites, or even minor scratches.

Notice that diet isn’t on this list. Avoiding specific foods won’t protect you if you’re prone to keloids, and eating them won’t cause a keloid if you aren’t.

When You Should Avoid Shrimp

There are a few real reasons to avoid shrimp, but none of them are about scarring:

You have a shellfish allergy. Shellfish is one of the most common food allergies in adults. Symptoms can range from hives and itching to life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Your doctor gives you specific instructions. After some surgeries, especially on the mouth, throat, or digestive system, your surgeon may recommend a specific diet for a period of time. Always follow your care team’s guidance.
Food safety concerns. Raw or undercooked shrimp can carry bacteria. While you’re recovering, make sure shrimp and other seafood are fresh and fully cooked.

If none of these apply, you don’t need to avoid shrimp for a month or any other set period after surgery, a cosmetic procedure, or a tattoo.

What About Sticky Rice, Chicken, and Other Seafood?

Many traditional recovery diets also advise avoiding glutinous (sticky) rice, chicken, beef, eggs, and seafood while a wound heals. These beliefs are often based on ideas about “hot” or “fishy” foods, not on scientific evidence. None of these foods have been shown to cause keloids, infection, or slower healing.

In fact, cutting out protein-rich foods like chicken, eggs, fish, and seafood can work against you. Your body needs extra protein and nutrients to build new tissue and heal properly.

Foods That Support Wound Healing

Instead of focusing on what to avoid, focus on eating a balanced diet that gives your skin the building blocks it needs:

Protein: Your body uses protein to repair tissue and form collagen. Good sources include chicken, fish, shrimp and other seafood, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, and tofu.
Vitamin C: Essential for making collagen. Find it in citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, and kiwi.
Zinc: Supports tissue repair and immune function. Good sources include shellfish, meat, poultry, beans, nuts, and seeds.
Vitamin A: Supports skin repair. Find it in sweet potatoes, carrots, leafy greens, and eggs.
Fluids: Staying well hydrated helps keep your skin healthy as it heals.

For more on how nutrition affects your skin, see our guide to nutrients for radiant skin.

It’s also a good idea to avoid smoking and limit alcohol while you heal, since both can slow wound healing.

How to Help Prevent Raised Scars

How you care for your wound matters much more than what you eat. These steps can lower your risk of a keloid or hypertrophic scar:

Keep the wound clean and covered. Follow your doctor’s instructions. Keeping the wound moist with petroleum jelly and a bandage often helps it heal with less scarring than letting it dry out and scab.
Don’t pick at scabs or stitches. This can reopen the wound and increase inflammation.
Watch for infection. Call your doctor if you notice increasing redness, warmth, swelling, pus, or fever.
Use silicone gel or sheets once the wound has closed. Silicone products can help flatten scars and prevent keloids from forming. Never apply them to an open wound or scab.
Protect the scar from the sun. Sun exposure can darken new scars. Cover the area or use broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Learn more in our article on hyperpigmentation and dark spots.
Tell your doctor if you’re prone to keloids. If you’ve had keloids before, let your surgeon or dermatologist know before any procedure. They may take steps to lower your risk, such as using steroid injections or pressure dressings.
Think twice about elective piercings and tattoos if you have a personal or family history of keloids.

How Are Keloids Treated?

Keloids can be challenging to treat, and no single treatment works for everyone. Dermatologists often combine several approaches:

Corticosteroid injections: Injections directly into the keloid, usually repeated every few weeks, can help flatten it and relieve itching. They’re often the first treatment dermatologists recommend.
Silicone gel sheets: These can help flatten a keloid and are often used after other treatments to help keep it from returning.
Pressure therapy: Special pressure earrings or dressings may help, especially for earlobe keloids.
Cryotherapy (freezing): This can shrink smaller keloids, but it may lighten the skin, so it isn’t always recommended for darker skin tones.
Laser treatment: Lasers can reduce a keloid’s height and color. They’re usually combined with other treatments, often require several sessions, and don’t completely remove the keloid.
Surgery: A keloid can be surgically removed, but it almost always grows back unless surgery is combined with other treatments like steroid injections or radiation.

Home remedies such as turmeric or honey haven’t been shown to treat keloids. If a scar is growing, itchy, painful, or bothering you, the best next step is to see a board-certified dermatologist. Treatment tends to work better when it’s started early.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I eat shrimp after surgery?

In most cases, yes. There’s no evidence that shrimp causes keloids or slows healing, and its protein can actually support recovery. The exceptions are if you have a shellfish allergy or your surgeon gives you specific diet instructions.

Can I eat shrimp after getting a tattoo or eyebrow tattoo?

Yes. Eating shrimp won’t cause raised scars or affect how your tattoo heals. Focus on following your artist’s aftercare instructions, keeping the area clean, and protecting it from the sun.

What foods cause keloids?

No foods have been shown to cause keloids. The main risk factors are genetics, darker skin tone, age, the location of the wound, and how the wound heals.

Are keloids dangerous?

No. Keloids are benign and don’t turn into cancer. However, they can be itchy, painful, or limit movement if they’re over a joint, and many people want them treated for cosmetic reasons.

Will a keloid go away on its own?

Keloids rarely go away without treatment. Hypertrophic scars, on the other hand, often flatten and fade over time. A dermatologist can tell you which type of scar you have.

The Bottom Line

Eating shrimp doesn’t cause keloids or raised scars. This common belief isn’t supported by scientific evidence, and avoiding protein-rich foods like shrimp, seafood, and chicken may actually slow your recovery. Keloids are mainly linked to genetics, skin tone, and how a wound heals. To lower your risk, care for your wound properly, use silicone products once it closes, protect it from the sun, and talk with a dermatologist if a scar starts to grow. The only reasons to skip shrimp are a shellfish allergy or specific instructions from your doctor.

References

American Academy of Dermatology. Keloids.
American Academy of Dermatology. Keloids: Diagnosis and Treatment.
Harvard Health Publishing. Keloids.
Stechmiller JK. Understanding the Role of Nutrition and Wound Healing. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 2010;25(1):61–68.