Hydrogen Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Skin Diseases and Aging
- Authors
- Johny Bajgai, Kyu-Jae Lee, Md Habibur Rahman, Ailyn Fadriquela, Cheol-Su Kim
- Journal
- Current Pharmaceutical Design
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.2174/1381612826666200925124235
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Psoriasis
- Body System
- Integumentary
TL;DR
Scientists found that a simple substance called molecular hydrogen might help treat skin problems like psoriasis and eczema by fighting off harmful molecules that damage skin cells and cause inflammation. This could be a new way to keep your skin healthy and slow down aging, but doctors need to do more tests on real people to figure out the best way to use it.
Key Finding
Molecular hydrogen shows theoretical potential as an antioxidant that could reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in skin diseases like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, but this is based on a review of existing research rather than new experimental evidence.
Summary
This review article examines how molecular hydrogen might help treat skin diseases. The authors explain that skin damage from environmental stress and aging happens when harmful molecules called oxidants build up faster than the body can neutralize them, leading to inflammation and skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. The review suggests that molecular hydrogen may work as an antioxidant to reduce this damage, though the authors note that more human studies are needed to confirm this.
Practical Takeaway
While this review suggests molecular hydrogen may have promise for skin health, it is a summary of existing literature rather than a new study with human participants. The authors themselves acknowledge that clinical trials in humans are needed before hydrogen can be recommended as a skin treatment. Anyone interested in this approach should wait for actual human studies before considering it.
Abstract
In today's society, healthy skin and a beautiful appearance are considered the foundation of general well-being. The skin is the largest organ of the body and plays an important role in protecting it against various factors such as environmental, physical, chemical, and biological hazards. These factors include mediators that lead to oxidation reactions that produce reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and additional oxidants in the skin cells. An increase in oxidants beyond the antioxidant capacity of its defense system causes oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in the body. This response can cause further disruption of collagen fibers and hinder the functioning of skin cells that may result in the development of various skin diseases including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and aging. In this review, we summarized the present information related to the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of dermatological disorders, and its impact on physical beauty and the daily lives of patients. We also discussed how molecular hydrogen exhibits a therapeutic effect against skin diseases via its effects on oxidative stress. Furthermore, findings from this summary review indicate that molecular hydrogen might be an effective treatment modality for the prevention and treatment of skin-related illnesses.