Oral zinc sulphate therapy for acne vulgaris

Abstract

A double-blind controlled clinical trial was performed to evaluate the effect of oral zinc sulphate, 0.6 g daily, on acne vulgaris. Twenty patients received zinc sulphate tablets and 19 were given placebo tablets. Thirteen of the zinc group and 12 of the placebo group received their medication throughout a 12-week period, while the remaining patients were treated for 4 or 8 weeks. In all patients the numbers or papular and pustular acne lesions on the face and the back were significantly reduced, while larger infiltrates remained practically unaltered during the trial, which was performed from March through May 1975. No statistically significant difference in the improvement of the groups was demonstrable. Pretreatment serum zinc values, which were normal in all patients, rose significantly in the zinc group as well as in the control group, but the increase in the former was significantly higher. The negative therapeutical results might be attributable to the limited number of patients or related to the zinc dosage. Furthermore, the results might have been influenced by the unexplained rise in serum zinc values in the control group. A possible weak beneficial effect of zinc might also have been camouflaged by the seasonal variation in the severity of acne which was noted in this study.

Safety and Effectiveness of Oral Nutraceuticals for Treating Acne

“…Of these, 2489 records were excluded based on title and abstract screening. Among 93 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 42 articles (3346 participants) [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review (Figure). Of the included studies, 27 (64.3%) 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 17, 19-21, 23, 24, 27, 29, 30, 32, 36-40, 42-47 were of poor quality, 11 (26.2%) 8,10,11,[14][15][16]18,22,28,31,34,35 were of fair quality, and 4 (9.5%) 25,26,33,41 were of good quality (Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3).…”

“…Of these, 2489 records were excluded based on title and abstract screening. Among 93 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 42 articles (3346 participants) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review (Figure). Of the included studies, 27 (64.3%) were of poor quality, 11 (26.2%) were of fair quality, and 4 (9.5%) were of good quality (Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3).…”

“…Among 93 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 42 articles (3346 participants) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review (Figure). Of the included studies, 27 (64.3%) were of poor quality, 11 (26.2%) were of fair quality, and 4 (9.5%) were of good quality (Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3). Detailed information on the included studies, including for poor-quality studies, is available in the eTable in the Supplement.…”

“…Zinc had the highest rate of adverse effect reporting of any nutraceuticals assessed in this review. In most of the included studies, participants reported gastrointestinal tract adverse effects (ie, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, indigestion). In the studies wherein zinc was compared with antibiotics, the rate of gastrointestinal tract adverse effects was similar between the groups.…”

“…Zinc is thought to target acne through decreasing sebum production and anti-inflammatory mediators as well as through antibacterial effects on Cutibacterium acnes, though its exact mechanisms are not fully understood. 48 Of the 15 articles evaluating zinc in the treatment of acne, [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] 4 of 6 studies (66.7%) of fair quality 10,11,14,16 and 4 of 9 studies (44.4%) of poor quality 6,9,13,17 found zinc to be efficacious (Tables 1-3 and eTable in the Supplement).…”