Many different factors can contribute to acne, including hormonal changes, bacteria, certain medications and even deficiencies. You might take a zinc supplement to help to clear up your acne or reduce your symptoms. Consult your doctor before taking zinc to discuss the correct dosage, as well as the possible side effects and drug interactions.
Benefits
Taking zinc supplements might help in treating acne. You might also take zinc to help treat colds, macular degeneration, sickle-cell anemia, prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH, diabetes, arthritis and many other health conditions, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Zinc is often part of multivitamin-mineral supplements for general nutritional support.
Function
Zinc appears to decrease the symptoms and effects of acne. Zinc is an essential trace element that your body needs for proper functioning of hundreds of enzymes, and that provides antioxidant actions and immune-system support, explains the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Zinc deficiencies can cause or contribute to certain health problems including acne. Babies, elderly people, adolescents and women tend to be deficient in zinc.
Dosage
You might take 30 mg of zinc twice daily for about four weeks, and then reduce the dosage to just once daily, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Zinc supplementation can cause a copper deficiency, so you might need to take 1 or 2 mg of copper daily while you're taking zinc for acne, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Ask your physician about the correct dosage before taking zinc to help treat acne.
Medical Research
A 2000 study published in the European Journal of Dermatology found that taking zinc gluconate supplements helped to treat inflammatory acne, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Another double-blind clinical trial reported in the journal Acta Dermato-Venereologica in 1989 found that taking zinc sulfate reduced the symptoms of acne vulgaris. Older studies conducted in Stockholm in 1980 found that taking zinc supplements were effective at treating acne, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Another double-blind clinical trial published in the British Journal of Dermatology in 1977 discovered that zinc supplements were equally effective as oxytetracycline, an oral antibiotic sometimes prescribed for treating acne.
Dangers
If you take too much zinc, you could experience vomiting or even develop anemia and a weakening of your immune system, warns the University of Maryland Medical Center. Taking zinc can interfere with some medications such as tetracycline and penicillamine, as well as absorption of minerals like iron, manganese, calcium and magnesium.
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