Zinc oxide is a natural pigmented mineral widely used in skin preparations for many different skin irritants. Its most common uses are for treating diaper rash, acne, and protecting the skin from sunburn. Zinc oxide is known to have minor astringent and antiseptic properties that make it a healing, protective barrier for the skin.
Calm Diaper Rash
Diaper rash on babies is often caused by moisture and a lack of air ventilation through the diaper. Zinc oxide, which is occlusive in nature, can be used to protect skin from irritations caused by moisture and chafing. According to an article on Quickcare.org, zinc oxide can block irritants from directly contacting the skin, which minimizes the chance of irritation or infection and can help promote healing.
Fighting Acne
Zinc oxide can be used to help treat acne. It's said to have astringent properties that can help absorb excess oil on the skin that's associated with acne. Zinc's ability to absorb oil from the skin's surface can help prevent the oil from becoming trapped underneath dead skin cells, a main contributing factor for acne. Zinc oxide is also very cost-effective when compared to other topical acne treatments.
Sunburn Barrier
Zinc oxide provides a visible barrier to UVA and UVB rays from the sun. It provides an actual physical block from sun damage, whereas chemical sunscreens absorb and filter the suns rays to protect from sun damage. Zinc oxide is the only sunblock approved by the Food and Drug Administration that can be used on children younger than six months old. According to an article on Merck.com, sunscreens are rated by their sun protection factor number. The SPF number on the product lets consumers know what degree of protection the product contains. An SPF of 2 to 12 provides some protection, an SPF of 13 to 29 provides good protection and an SPF greater than 30 provides maximum protection.
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