Does digestive enzymes help with skin disease? What the research does and doesn't show

The evidence doesn't support digestive enzyme supplements, including DigeZyme, as a treatment for eczema, rosacea or acne. We found one small study connecting pancreatic enzyme function to rosacea, but it measured natural enzyme secretion, not a supplement's effect on skin — and no trial has tested DigeZyme, or any comparable blend, on any of these three conditions.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support DigeZyme, or any digestive-enzyme supplement, as a treatment for eczema, rosacea or acne. These are diagnosed skin conditions with their own causes and treatments, and a supplement isn't a substitute for a dermatologist's evaluation. The one piece of research tying pancreatic enzymes to a skin condition is decades old, small, and didn't test whether taking an enzyme supplement changes skin symptoms at all.

What the trials found

A 1982 study measured pancreatic enzyme secretion directly, using an infusion test, in 21 adults with rosacea and 21 healthy controls — it didn't give anyone a supplement. Bicarbonate output and one enzyme, chymotrypsin, were no different between the two groups; lipase output was lower in the rosacea group, by 18.5% to 66% depending on the person. The study's authors noted that pancreatic extracts had been reported, elsewhere, to improve both dyspepsia and skin lesions in rosacea, but that observation wasn't tested in this study — it only measured natural enzyme output, not an enzyme supplement's effect on skin.

We haven't found a controlled trial testing digestive enzyme supplementation, including DigeZyme, for eczema or acne at all. DigeZyme's own clinical trial studied 40 adults with functional dyspepsia over 60 days and didn't assess any skin outcome.

Questions people ask

Do digestive enzymes help with eczema?

We haven't found a trial testing digestive enzyme supplementation, including DigeZyme, in people with eczema. Eczema is a diagnosed skin condition best managed with a dermatologist.

Can digestive enzymes help with rosacea?

A small 1982 study found people with rosacea had lower pancreatic lipase output than people without it, but it didn't test whether taking a lipase or enzyme supplement changed rosacea symptoms. No trial we've found has tested that.

Do digestive enzymes clear up acne?

We haven't found a trial testing digestive enzyme supplementation for acne. Acne has well-studied causes and treatments that don't include over-the-counter digestive enzymes.

Can digestive enzymes help with psoriasis?

We haven't found a trial testing this either. Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin condition with its own diagnosed treatments; a digestive-enzyme supplement isn't one of them, and hasn't been tested as one.

When to talk to a doctor

Persistent or worsening eczema, rosacea or acne is worth seeing a dermatologist for — a digestive-enzyme supplement is not a treatment for any of them. See digestive enzymes: what the research does and doesn't show for the wider research picture, and who should not take digestive enzymes for other conditions that need a doctor's input first.