Ultrafine Bubble Showers Offer Relief for Atopic Dermatitis, Study Finds
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Bubble baths might be soothing soaks, but bubble showers could be the next thing in keeping the skin clean.
An Osaka Metropolitan University-led medical research team found that ultrafine bubble showers might help prevent atopic dermatitis.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common and relapsing skin disease characterized by skin barrier dysfunction, inflammation, and chronic pruritus. Both cutaneous barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation are critical etiologies of the pathology of AD. Although various anti-inflammatory pharmacological agents, including cytokine inhibitors and signaling pathway blockers, have been developed recently, keeping the skin clean is of utmost importance in maintaining physiological cutaneous barrier function and avoiding an AD flare. Ultrafine bubbles (UFBs) are less than 1 μm in diameter and usually used to clean medical equipment. A UFB shower is expected to keep skin clean with attention to the temperature and strength of the shower.
Graduate School of Medicine student Ayaki Matsumoto and Associate Professor Hisayoshi Imanishi led the study into using ultrafine bubbles, often used to clean medical equipment, on mice with atopic dermatitis.
The scientists found that in mice with atopic dermatitis due to external factors, inflammation was markedly suppressed when the affected skin was showered with ultrafine bubbles, while normal showers also showed some positive results. Additionally, the ultrafine bubble showers improved the levels of proteins in the skin that act as a protective barrier. For mice with atopic dermatitis caused by genetic factors, however, there were no significant differences even compared to mice who were not showered.
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