Hydrogen Gas Protects Skin from UV Damage and Aging
- Authors
- Mi Hee Shin, Raeeun Park, Hideo Nojima, Hyung-Chel Kim, Yeon Kyung Kim, Jin Ho Chung
- Journal
- PLoS One
- Year
- 2013
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0061696
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Skin Aging
- Body System
- Integumentary
TL;DR
Atomic hydrogen surrounded by water molecules can protect skin from sun damage and may help slow down skin aging.
Key Finding
Atomic hydrogen in water reduced UV-induced skin redness, DNA damage, and inflammatory markers in human skin, while increasing collagen production in aged skin.
Summary
Researchers tested whether atomic hydrogen molecules surrounded by water could protect human skin from UV damage and signs of aging. When applied to skin, this treatment reduced redness and DNA damage from UV exposure, and lowered levels of inflammatory molecules linked to skin aging. The treatment also appeared to boost collagen production (which keeps skin firm) while reducing enzymes that break down skin structure.
Practical Takeaway
While this human study shows promise for UV protection and anti-aging effects, important details like sample size and treatment duration were not reported, making it difficult to assess the strength of the findings. Early evidence suggests this approach may warrant further investigation, but more rigorous studies are needed before drawing conclusions about real-world effectiveness.
Abstract
Recently, there has been much effort to find effective ingredients which can prevent or retard cutaneous skin aging after topical or systemic use. Here, we investigated the effects of the atomic hydrogen surrounded by water molecules, H(H2O)m, on acute UV-induced responses and as well as skin aging. Interestingly, we observed that H(H2O)m application to human skin prevented UV-induced erythema and DNA damage. And H(H2O)m significantly prevented UV-induced MMP-1, COX-2, IL-6 and IL-1β mRNA expressions in human skin in vivo. We found that H(H2O)m prevented UV-induced ROS generation and inhibited UV-induced MMP-1, COX-2 and IL-6 expressions, and UV-induced JNK and c-Jun phosphorylation in HaCaT cells. Next, we investigated the effects of H(H2O)m on intrinsically aged or photoaged skin of elderly subjects. In intrinsically aged skin, H(H2O)m application significantly reduced constitutive expressions of MMP-1, IL-6, and IL-1β mRNA. Additionally, H(H2O)m significantly increased procollagen mRNA and also decreased MMP-1 and IL-6 mRNA expressions in photoaged facial skin. These results demonstrated that local application of H(H2O)m may prevent UV-induced skin inflammation and can modulate intrinsic skin aging and photoaging processes. Therefore, we suggest that modifying the atmospheric gas environment within a room may be a new way to regulate skin functions or skin aging.