Magnesium in Skin Aging, Wound Healing, and Some Specific Dermatologic Disorders: A Narrative Review on Biological Mechanisms, Clinical Evidence, and Therapeutic Perspectives

Magnesium is the second most abundant intracellular cation and an essential cofactor for more than 600 enzymatic reactions involved in cellular metabolism, energy production, nucleic acid synthesis, protein translation, and immune regulation. Emerging experimental evidence suggests that magnesium contributes to several processes involved in skin homeostasis, including keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, epidermal barrier integrity, collagen synthesis, oxidative balance, and innate and adaptive immune responses. Magnesium deficiency is common but often underrecognized, particularly among persons at higher risk including older adults and persons with gastrointestinal disorders, type 2 diabetes, chronic alcohol use, or certain medication exposures. This deficiency has been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of several dermatologic diseases through mechanisms involving chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, impaired wound repair, endothelial dysfunction, and immune dysregulation. This review summarizes the current understanding of magnesium biology in skin physiology and critically examines experimental and clinical evidence linking altered magnesium status to inflammatory, autoimmune, and degenerative skin disorders, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne vulgaris, rosacea, chronic urticaria, wound healing disorders, diabetic foot ulcers, alopecia, and skin aging. The review also discusses the therapeutic potential of oral and topical magnesium formulations, including their proposed mechanisms of action, clinical efficacy, safety profile, and current limitations of the available evidence. Although preclinical studies support a role for magnesium in skin health, clinical evidence remains limited by heterogeneous study designs and a lack of high-quality randomized trials. Future research should prioritize standardized biomarkers and robust clinical studies to clarify the therapeutic potential of magnesium and identify patients most likely to benefit from magnesium-based interventions in dermatologic disorders.