A bleach-based solution helps the skin to fight against inflammation, irradiation and also … against natural aging.
Forget overpriced creams, miracle solutions and rejuvenation creams. Your bathroom shelf contains a less expensive and more effective product for combating aging of the skin: bleach. This is the result of a triple study conducted by Stanford University (California, United States) on mice, published on November 15 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Do not apply directly to the skin
For years, doctors have used bleach baths to treat severe eczema… but without really understanding the mechanism. The study analyzed two groups of mice. Some were entitled to a bath of pure water (the placebo), others to a bath of 0.005% bleach diluted in water. “It was originally thought that bleach had an antimicrobial function, that it killed bacteria and viruses on the skin,” says Dr Thomas Leung, who conducted the study. “But the concentrations used in the laboratory are not high enough for that to be the only reason. So we wondered if there was not something else. “
Because the bleach-based solution does much more than treat eczema: it is effective on various types of skin damage. With these experiments, the researchers tried to bring new solutions to diseases known for a long time. However, the dosage is minimal … and doctors remind us that you should never apply bleach directly to the skin.
Burns and Radiation
Normally, when the skin is attacked, the immune system activates an inflammatory response with the NF-kB molecule. This helps fight the infection. But this vital reaction can cause damage if excessive. The researchers focused on this molecule, which plays a role in inflammation, aging and the response to radiation. The skin cells were immersed in a bleach solution for one hour and then exposed to a molecule which activates the NF-kB function. The bleach blocked the reaction, but for a limited time.
The same goes for radiation: mice with radiodermatitis, skin lesions linked to irradiation, were immersed for 30 minutes in a bath of diluted bleach. Rodents that have benefited from it have less severe lesions, better healing, and superior hair regrowth than those soaked in plain water. Again, the effects were limited to 2-3 weeks.
The fountain of Youth ?
The researchers are enthusiastic: “It is possible, in addition to the benefit against radiodermatitis, that it may also help heal certain wounds like diabetic ulcers,” considers Dr. Leung. “It’s exciting because there are very few side effects associated with bleach. We may have identified other ways to use hypochlorite to actually help patients. It would be easy, safe and inexpensive. “
Researchers have gone so far as to consider this solution as a product for combating skin aging. Old but healthy mice were used for a third experiment. “By bathing them in the bleach solution, the skin of the animals looked younger. From old and brittle, it grew thicker, with increased cell proliferation, ”says Dr. Leung. The skins were therefore rejuvenated, but only for a time: aging resumed three weeks after the bleach bath.
We haven’t found the Fountain of Youth, but we’re approaching it – at least temporarily. Such a product would help treat patients whose skin is damaged or prematurely aged. It now remains to find out how to make its effects last over time. Researchers are already planning clinical trials in humans, and they are looking for other diseases that could be treated with a diluted bleach bath.
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