Evaluation of Deep Sea Water on Skin Barrier Function

Ocean bathing has been considered as ‘healthy’ for skin. Balneotherapy using spa water or Dead Sea water has been alleged to be effective for the management of inflammatory skin diseases, such an atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Our aim was to investigate the effects of deep sea water and additional salts on skin barrier function of hairless mouse and experimentaly induced irritant contact dermatitis in human. Repeated tape stripping was performed on flank skin of hairless mouse to disrupt epidermal permeability barrier. After barrier perturbation, the barrier-disrupted skin site was immersed in deep sea water or other salt solutions. Barrier recovery rate was evaluated by measuring trasepidermal water loss at 3 and 6 hours after barrier disruption. Sodium dodecyl sulphate solution was used for inducing irritant contact dermatitis in healthy volunteers and epidermal permeability function and skin capacitance change was observed. The barrier recovery was accelerated in deep sea water-immersed skin, compare to distilled water-immersed skin. In experimentally induced irritant contact dermatitis, deep sea water immersion prevented increase of TEWL and decrease of skin capacitance, as compared with distilled water immersion. Deep sea water immersion has beneficial effects on epidermal permeability barrier function.ope