Hydrogen Therapy Plus Acids Beats Hydrogen Alone for Acne Treatment
- Authors
- Karolina Chilicka, Monika Rusztowicz, Aleksandra M. Rogowska, Renata Szyguła, Binnaz Asanova, Danuta Nowicka
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.3390/jcm11216269
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Poland
- Health Condition
- Acne Vulgaris
- Body System
- Integumentary
TL;DR
A study found that both hydrogen purification and a special mixture of cosmetic acids significantly improved acne and skin oiliness, with the acid treatment showing better results.
Key Finding
A combination of hydrogen purification and cosmetic acids reduced acne and sebum more effectively than hydrogen purification alone in this small study of 24 women with mild acne.
Summary
This small study tested two treatments for mild acne in 24 young women: alkaline water from a hydrogen purification device, and the same device combined with a mixture of cosmetic acids. Both treatments were given four times over two months. Researchers measured skin condition before and after using specialized equipment. Both treatments reduced acne and sebum (oily buildup), but the combination of hydrogen purification and acids worked better than hydrogen purification alone.
Practical Takeaway
While this study suggests combining hydrogen purification with cosmetic acids may help with mild acne, the findings are preliminary—the study was very small, included only women aged 19-21 with mild acne, and lacked important details about long-term results. It's unclear whether these results would apply to other age groups or more severe acne. More research is needed before drawing firm conclusions about effectiveness.
Abstract
Acne and skin lesions that appear in its course deteriorate the quality of life of patients, cause depression and the emergence of suicidal thoughts. Cosmetic treatments can have a positive effect on improving skin condition by cleaning up skin eruptions, thus improving the well-being of affected people. Hydrogen purification is a treatment that uses alkaline water generated by a device, which reduces sebum from the surface of the epidermis. This is a novel treatment that has recently been introduced to beauty salons. On the other hand, cosmetic acids have been used for many years for treating people with acne vulgaris and give spectacular results in terms of improving the skin condition. In this study, skin condition was evaluated with a Derma Unit SSC 3 device. The Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) was used to check acne severity. Twenty-four women aged 19-21 years (M = 20.13, SD = 0.80) diagnosed with mild acne vulgaris and a high sebum level participated in the study. Group A underwent a hydrogen purification treatment using an H2jet manipulator, which ejected alkaline water from the manipulator under pressure. Group B underwent a hydrogen purification treatment with the use of a phytic, pyruvic, lactic and ferulic acids at 40% mixture (pH 1.4). A series of four treatments was performed at 14-day intervals in both groups. Skin parameters were measured before and 30 days after the series of treatment. Very good results were obtained in both groups. The skin eruptions in patients were reduced and we also observed lower amounts of sebum on the surface of the epidermis, and an improvement in skin hydration. However, in group B, the results were better than in group A. The study showed that the synergy of the treatments produced much better effects than those obtained by completing the hydrogen purification treatment alone.