An open-label study comparing oral zinc to lymecycline in the treatment of acne vulgaris

BACKGROUND: Acne is a chronic multifactorial skin disease with a high prevalence among adolescents. The therapeutic approach for mild to moderate papulopustular acne includes the use of systemic tetracycline. Increased risk of antibiotic resistance necessitates research into alternative therapeutic approaches, such as zinc sulphate. Efficacy of zinc sulphate in acne treatment is widely reported in the literature, but drug comparison studies are lacking. OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare the efficacy and safety of zinc sulphate to lymecycline for the treatment of mild to moderate papulopustular acne. METHODS: One hundred patients were equally randomized to receive either zinc sulphate or lymecycline. Acne severity was evaluated using the subjective Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) and the Acne-specific Quality of Life (AQoL) questionnaire at baseline and after four and 12 weeks. RESULTS: Both zinc sulphate and lymecycline induced a statistically significant reduction in GAGS scores at four and 12 weeks of treatment. The improvements in AQoL scores in patients treated with zinc sulphate were significantly higher than those in the lymecycline group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that zinc sulphate is a valid alternative therapeutic approach in the treatment of mild to moderate papulopustular acne relative to lymecycline in terms of clinical efficacy, tolerability, and the occurrence of side effects.