Tokyo — A new study suggests that treatment with oxygen (hyperoxia) could have potential benefit in combating skin damage caused by ultraviolet light, HealthDay News reports.
The study, conducted by a University of Tokyo research team, showed that mice placed in an oxygen chamber after prolonged exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation had fewer wrinkles and less thickening of the skin than those receiving no treatment.
Researchers divided 24 hairless mice into three groups. One, the control group, received no UVB; one received UVB three times a week for five weeks; the third received UVB on the same schedule, followed by two hours in an oxygen chamber after each treatment.
Investigators found that while the UVB and UVB-plus-oxygen groups both developed skin wrinkling and thickening, changes in the latter group were less severe.
The authors write that although oxygen treatment has potential for treating human skin, more research is needed.
“Although hyperoxia may be used for humans to prevent acute UVB-induced skin damage, potential oxidative damage should be considered. … Further studies to determine the possible oxidative side effects of hyperoxia are needed before it can be applied in humans,” they write.
