Wound care is a major healthcare expenditure. Treatment of burns, surgical and trauma wounds, diabetic lower limb ulcers and skin wounds is a major medical challenge with current therapies largely focused on supportive care measures. Successful wound repair requires a series of tightly coordinated steps including coagulation, inflammation, angiogenesis, new tissue formation and extracellular matrix remodeling. Zinc is an essential trace element (micronutrient) which plays important roles in human physiology. Zinc is a cofactor for many metalloenzymes required for cell membrane repair, cell proliferation, growth and immune system function. The pathological effects of zinc deficiency include the occurrence of skin lesions, growth retardation, impaired immune function and compromised wound healing.” Zinc in Wound Healing Modulation, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793244/

Zinc is an essential trace element in the human body and its importance in health and disease is appreciated. It serves as a cofactor in numerous transcription factors and enzyme systems including zinc-dependent matrix metalloproteinases that augment auto-debridement and keratinocyte migration during wound repair. Zinc confers resistance to epithelial apoptosis through cryoprotection against reactive oxygen species and bacterial toxins possibly through antioxidant activity of the cysteine-rich metallothionein. Zinc deficiency of hereditary or dietary causes can lead to pathological changes and delayed wound healing. Topical administration of zinc appears to be superior to oral therapy due to its action in reducing superinfections and necrotic material via enhanced local defense systems and collagenolytic activity, and the sustained release of zinc ions that stimulates epithelialization of wound. Zinc is transported through the skin from these formulations, although the systemic effects seem insignificant.” Zinc in wound healing: theoretical, experimental, and clinical aspects. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17244314/

Zinc, both in elemental or in its salt forms, has been used as a therapeutic modality for centuries. Topical preparations like zinc oxide, calamine, or zinc pyrithione have been in use as photoprotecting, soothing agents or as active ingredient of antidandruff shampoos. Its use has expanded manifold over the years for a number of dermatological conditions including infections (leishmaniasis, warts), inflammatory dermatoses (acne vulgaris, rosacea), pigmentary disorders (melasma), and neoplasias (basal cell carcinoma). Although the role of oral zinc is well-established in human zinc deficiency syndromes including acrodermatitis enteropathica, it is only in recent years that importance of zinc as a micronutrient essential for infant growth and development has been recognized. The paper reviews various dermatological uses of zinc.” Zinc Therapy in Dermatology: A Review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4120804/