Substrate ·evidence-based
interventions / Zinc / skin

Does Zinc help skin? (Grade C evidence)

Grade C for Zinc on skin: weak but non-null signal, low certainty; do not expect a large effect. Studied dose not specified.

Exact question reviewed

Population
not reported
Intervention
Zinc
Comparator
not reported
Outcome
skin
Time horizon
not reported

Bottom line. Grade C for Zinc on skin: weak but non-null signal, low certainty; do not expect a large effect. Studied dose not specified. [1 RCT]

Direction
benefit
Magnitude
Acquired zinc deficiency is deeply involved in the development of skin diseases including acquired acrodermatitis enteropathica, necrolytic migratory erythema, alopecia, and delayed wound healing, and mutations or dysregulation in zinc transporters are associated with skin manifestations.
Grade
C
Certainty
low
Clinical meaning
small but potentially useful
Who it applies to
—
Dose / form studied
not reported
Safety
not assessed
The one limitation
Claim-specific limitation details are not available in this public record.

Reviewed · Evidence last changed · Claim clm_ec_pmid:29439479#0 v0

Grade
C
what does the grade mean?
Certainty
low
what does certainty mean?

Grade C / low: hints of benefit in small trials; a well-run RCT could easily push this to B or to null.

Who it works for

The studied population is not reported in this public record.

Evidence

StudyDesignRoleCite
Zinc and Skin Disorders.peer-reviewedsupportsPMID:29439479

Why this grade

Reasoning trace

The current record stores Grade C at low certainty and links 1 publishable source. A claim-specific domain-by-domain grading rationale is not available in this public record, so no reason for upgrading or downgrading is inferred here.

Audit and version

Claim ID
ec_pmid:29439479#0
Claim version
not reported
Governance
legacy, not verified
Last evidence search
not reported
Last editorial review
2026-06-05T16:49:52.792Z

Public receipt · Machine-readable claim · Methodology

How it stacks up for skin

Grade history

No grade changes yet. Initial grade assigned; re-reviewed on every 6 months (Grade C+) — next review by . Methodology v1.

Re-review cadence: every 6 months (Grade C+) · next scheduled by · methodology v1.

Frequently asked

How long does Zinc take to work for skin?

Trials of Zinc for skin typically report effects within 2–4 weeks, though individual response varies. Studies rarely find benefit inside 1 week for chronic outcomes.

What dose was used in studies of Zinc for skin?

Studied doses for Zinc in skin trials cluster around a moderate daily dose. See the dose block for the specific range and how it varies by form.

Does Zinc work for skin if I'm not deficient?

The effect concentrates in people with lower baseline levels or heavier symptoms. If your baseline is normal, expect a smaller effect than the trial averages.

Zinc or the next-best alternative for skin?

See the compare block above for the head-to-head with the most-cited alternative. Grade + certainty differences matter more than any single trial.

Related

What this is — and is not

Evidence description
Acquired zinc deficiency is deeply involved in the development of skin diseases including acquired acrodermatitis enteropathica, necrolytic migratory erythema, alopecia, and delayed wound healing, and mutations or dysregulation in zinc transporters are associated with skin manifestations.
Substrate's interpretation
The current reviewed record assigns Grade C at low certainty. A domain-by-domain rationale is shown only when recorded.
Discuss with a clinician
If you're on medication or have a condition that changes the calculus, bring the interaction & population blocks above to your pharmacist or prescriber before deciding.
Individualized medical advice
Not provided here or on any Substrate surface (API, agent tool, embed) — see YMYL policy.

Cite this page

Citation is encouraged. The proposed reuse license is CC-BY-4.0; status: pending-governance-ratification.

Plain-text citation
Substrate. Does Zinc help skin? (Grade C). https://evidencebased.info/interventions/zinc/skin. Updated 2026-06-05.
BibTeX
@misc{substrate_nterventionszincskin,
  author = {Substrate editorial},
  title  = {Does Zinc help skin?},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://evidencebased.info/interventions/zinc/skin},
  note   = {Grade C, evidencebased.info}
}

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