[Zinc--a new therapeutic principle in dermatology?].

Zinc, a metal enzyme, is essential for the metabolism, it is mainly found in moulting tissue. Success or failure of systemic treatment with zinc of acne vulgaris, alopecia areata, or leg ulcer may be explained by understanding the metabolism of zinc in the organism interpreted as a feedback mechanism: treatment with zinc is only successful if zinc is not available in a sufficient amount for the organism, i.e. in case of primary zinc deficiency. This concept of therapy is illustrated by the case of a female patient suffering from leg ulcer, who developed an epithelization rate of 2.31 cm2 per day during treatment with zinc.