Hydrogen Water Bathing Reduces Wrinkles and Protects Skin from UV Damage
- Authors
- Shinya Kato, Yasukazu Saitoh, Keizou Iwai, Nobuhiko Miwa
- Journal
- Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology
- Year
- 2012
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2011.09.006
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Skin Aging
- Body System
- Integumentary System
TL;DR
Hydrogen-rich warm water improved skin health by reducing wrinkles and protecting against UV damage in cells and human subjects.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water increased type-I collagen production 1.85- to 2.03-fold in skin fibroblasts and significantly reduced UV-induced cell damage and free radical generation in lab-grown skin cells.
Summary
Researchers tested hydrogen-rich water (water with extra dissolved hydrogen created through electrolysis) against UV damage in skin cells grown in the lab. They found that hydrogen-rich water boosted collagen production in fibroblasts (cells that give skin its structure) and protected keratinocytes (surface skin cells) from UV damage by reducing harmful molecules called free radicals. In a small 3-month trial, six people who bathed in hydrogen-rich water showed visible wrinkle improvement on the back of their necks.
Practical Takeaway
This early research suggests hydrogen-rich water may help protect skin from UV damage and support collagen production, based on lab studies and a very small human trial. However, the human evidence is limited to six people over three months, and the study did not include a control group (people using regular water for comparison), so stronger evidence would be needed before drawing firm conclusions about its effectiveness for wrinkle prevention.
Abstract
Hydrogen-rich electrolyzed warm water (HW) was prepared at 41°C and exhibited dissolved hydrogen (DH) of 1.13 ppm and an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of -741 mV in contrast to below 0.01 ppm and+184 mV for regular warm water (RW). Fibroblasts OUMS-36 and keratinocytes HaCaT were used to examine effects of HW against UVA-ray irradiation. Type-I collagen was synthesized 1.85- to 2.03-fold more abundantly by HW application for 3-5 days than RW in OUMS-36 fibroblasts, and localized preferentially around the nuclei as shown by immunostain. HW application significantly prevented cell death and DNA damages such as nuclear condensation and fragmentation in UVA-irradiated HaCaT keratinocytes as estimated by WST-1 and Hoechst 33342 assays. HW significantly suppressed UVA-induced generation of intracellular superoxide anion radicals in both the cell lines according to NBT assay. Wrinkle repression was clinically assessed using a HW-bathing. Six Japanese subjects were enrolled in a trial of HW-bathing (DH, 0.2-0.4 ppm) every day for 3 months. HW-bathing significantly improved wrinkle in four subjects on the back of neck on 90th day as compared to 0 day. Thus, HW may serve as daily skin care to repress UVA-induced skin damages by ROS-scavenging and promotion of type-I collagen synthesis in dermis.