Zinc Acne: Helping Alleviate Your Acne Problem

Zinc is a mineral known to alleviate acne. It is an antioxidant that protects skin from free radicals. It also stabilizes the formation of sebum and speeds up the healing process of wounds. It hastens the absorption of vitamin A, which is also an effective vitamin to clear up acne.

Seafood and shellfish are natural and rich sources of zinc. However, studies claim that some of these food sources contain heavy metals which make them less safe for eating.

Due to that reason, zinc supplements came out of the market. They come in forms of zinc oxide, zinc citrate, zinc gluconate, zinc sulphate and zinc monomethionine. 

Zinc supplements for acne

There are various products found in pharmacies which are supplemented by zinc.  These products are:

• Optizinc by Solaray. This zinc supplement in capsule form contains 30mg of Zinc Monomethionine and 20mg of Vitamin B6. It aids in repairing wounds and fighting against free radicals. With the presence of vitamin B6, this supplement is more readily absorbed by the body.  The said features of the product, makes it a good vital form of acne medication.

•  OptiZinc Zinc Monomethionine. This contains 30mg of zinc monomethionine in tablet form. It is an antioxidant, which prevents skin damage caused by free radicals. However, caution should be exercised by pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

Things to remember for zinc supplements

Just like any other oral medications, zinc supplements should be taken with proper dosage and administration.  You must also know some of the things that are apparently associated with its intake, like:

• Consider elemental zinc content.  Since the body can only absorb a small amount of zinc, the supplement should contain at least 30mg of elemental zinc.

• Avoid zinc overdose.  The zinc supplement must not contain Iron, Calcium or Copper because these are known as completing minerals of zinc. In this case, not having iron, calcium and copper in the supplement will prevent zinc overdose.

• When to take them.  Take in the zinc supplement 2 hours before of after meals as it will also prevent zinc overdose.

• Take note of recommended zinc supplements.  The most recommended zinc supplements are Zinc Gluconate OR Opti-Zinc (Zinc Monomethionine) for it yielded more positive results in alleviating acne.

• Avoid food which reduces zinc absorption.  Food such as whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds should be avoided since they contain phytic acid which is known to reduce the absorption of zinc.

• Multivitamins with zinc are not as effective as you think.  Zinc supplements found in multivitamins are not as effective since those also contain iron and calcium.

• Consider the maximum amount of zinc absorbed by the body.  The body can absorb a minimal amount of zinc therefore a maximum of 100mg elemental zinc should be taken in per day.