Zinc has been used to treat acne vulgaris because of its anti-inflammatory properties; however, it is unknown if zinc supplementation is also useful in other inflammatory skin diseases. The purpose of this study was to see how zinc supplementation affected inflammatory dermatologic diseases. We conducted a time-limited search of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Ovid up to May 29, 2019. Trials including zinc supplementation in the treatment of inflammatory dermatological diseases in both children and adults were chosen. 22 articles out of 229 fulfilled the inclusion requirements. Zinc supplementation was shown to be helpful in ten of fourteen research examining its effects on acne vulgaris, one of two studies on atopic dermatitis, one study on diaper dermatitis, and three studies on hidradenitis suppurativa. However, no substantial effect of zinc therapy on disease outcome was identified in the one paper on psoriasis and one article on rosacea.
Although early data supports the use of zinc in the treatment of acne vulgaris and hidradenitis suppurativa, additional study using similar techniques and bigger sample sizes is required in both illnesses. Furthermore, zinc may be beneficial in the treatment of atopic dermatitis and diaper dermatitis; however, further research is needed to confirm these possibly favourable correlations. So far, there is no evidence to suggest that zinc may be beneficial in rosacea and psoriasis; nevertheless, there is little research assessing the use of zinc in these diseases.
Reference:https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40257-019-00484-0
