…" I can tell you, there is no modality, which surpasses oxygen for treating the skin.  I hope that you will explore and experience the power of oxygen for health, beauty and indoor air." Dr. Craig Walberg, 27 yr specialist of collagen related conditions.

Why Oxygen is Important

Oxygen is the very essence of life. It is so important to life that humans cannot live without it. After three minutes without oxygen, our brain begins to lose consciousness. Our brain cells die in eight minutes and many cells suffer irreversible damage in only 10 minutes. This crucial need for oxygen can help us to understand the  importance of oxygen as a natural skin treatment.

The following are some crucial metabolic processes that require oxygen:

• Respiration, the Inhalation and Exhalation of Air thru our Lungs
• Metabolism of Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins into Life Energy
• Metabolism of Collagen and Elastin  
• Many Enzyme Reactions
• Muscle Contraction
• The Destruction of Bacteria
• …and  Thousands More Everyday Biochemical Reactions
• “Even today, not every biological function of oxygen is known “(2) Peter Pultiegese

European medical research has isolated Oxygen deficiency as one of the common denominators of aging and the start of disease. Professor Dr. Manfred von Ardene, the originator and champion of modern skin oxygen treatments has scientifically proven this finding. (3)

It has been suggested that many of us have low levels of oxygen in our bodies.  ”Over the last several thousand years it is estimated that the amount of oxygen in the air has fallen significantly and now stands at around 21%. However some cities around the world are recording levels of oxygen as low as 12%. At 7% human life can no longer exist.” (1)

As man pollutes our air with carbon-based fuels and other chemicals and continues to destroy rain forests, our planets natural oxygen producers, oxygen levels are expected to drop even more. This means more carbon dioxide and less oxygen throughout the world. You can find more information on how oxygen can help the body can be found in the bestselling book ‘Flood Your Body with Oxygen’ by Ed McCabe – a leading journalist who has researched the benefits of oxygen.

The optimum availability of oxygen at the cell level is the key to health and beauty. Molecular Oxygen or O2 is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. Oxygen by itself has no energy, but becomes activated as it enters the cell where all metabolic function happens. Oxygen is the ultimate life support ingredient, helping cells to survive, reproduce and regenerate. Oxygen is also a healing agent, a provider of energy and it guards against unfriendly bacteria and disease. Available energy and living are forever linked, and so is the aging process. Having adequate energy for each of our organs is essential for healthy function of our entire body and that means each cell in our body must have a good supply of energy.

Our body needs approximately 360 liters, 90 gallons, of oxygen daily for healthy energy production and organ function. 99% will enter our body via normal respiration while only 1% will enter through our skin. With each breath of air, oxygen enters and leaves our lungs, and is carried to each cell of our body via hemoglobin cells traveling in our blood circulatory system.  98% of this oxygen will end up being used for energy (as long as our cardiovascular system is working at its best).  2% will become free radicals which are destroyed of by a combination of our body’s natural antioxidant system and support from externally applied skin oxygen, vitamins and other natural antioxidants.

Science has shown that our skin cells are the last to receive the oxygen we breathe in. Waste products accumulate in our skin, its blood and nutrients are shunted to other organs in emergency situations, and nasty metabolic by-products are frequently sent to the skin to be neutralized. The sun and cold wreck havoc on our skin, and harsh detergents and soaps strip our skin of its protective layer leaving it exposed and vulnerable. Next to our stomach, the skin is the most abused organ in the body. Our skin can be helped, however, if enough energy and nutrients are supplied to it, and that is why understanding the science of Skin Oxygen Treatments and Skin Facial Therapies has become so important.

Can Skin Oxygen Really Penetrate Our Skin?

Randall Johnson, a professor of biology at UC San Diego headed a recent research study that found that the skin of mice responded to increased oxygen concentrations above the skin with increased blood flow to that area. “What we found in this study is really something quite unusual. We discovered that mammalian skin, at least in mice, responds to how much oxygen is above it and, by virtue of that response, changes blood flow through the skin.”  Their surprising finding, is published in the April 18^th issue of the journal Cell,

Dr. Peter Pugliese, a well known skin scientist and educator, has studied skin physiology, physics, and diffusion laws to find “that a large amount of the oxygen used by the skin passes into the skin from our atmosphere. Without the ability to get the oxygen into the skin first and then down to the basal layer next, it would not make any sense for oxygen to be used as a therapeutic modality.” (2) He has stated that there are three skin conditions that respond well to a skin oxygen facial: Acne, Rosacea and Aging skin.

How Does Skin Oxygen Therapy Work?

An increase in the levels of skin oxygen helps to enhance the skin cells’ metabolic health, enhance new cell growth and the functioning of the blood vessels in the skin. The resulting increase in blood flow improves our body’s ability to metabolize, absorb and utilize vitamins, minerals, proteins and other nutrients. Skin oxygen also stimulates collagen production and the production of elastin fibers, all in all contributing to healthier, younger looking skin. Oxygen is also known as an antibacterial agent and works to combat acne. “Germs cannot live in an oxygen rich environment” stated Otto Warburg who, in 1931 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology Medicine for the “discovery of the nature and mode of action of the respiratory enzyme.”  The acne bacteria, known as Propionibacterium Acnes can only multiply in an oxygen deprived environment. In the presence of skin oxygen, the p. acnes bacteria cannot live.

Molecular oxygen, O2, is used as a carrier for water soluble mycellized skin vitamins, usually Vitamins A, C, E and B and Hyaluronic Acid.  Delivered through a hand held nebulizer, a microscopically fine mist is directly applied a skin surface that has been specially prepared to accept the penetration of pressurized oxygen and mycellized skin vitamins.

During the treatment, oxygen pressure, PO2, in the skin is increased up to 400 bar. A normal skin maximum is 160 bar. With well prepared skin, the absorption of oxygen and skin vitamins activates skin metabolism, which results in better hydration, and an increase in overall tensile strength of collagen and elastin.

Hyperbaric oxygen as a skin oxygen treatment has been evolving since the 1940’s. Doctors know that adjunctive hyperbaric skin oxygen treatment has been shown to accelerate skin rejuvenation for burn victims, reduce swelling, reduce the need for surgical intervention, diminish lung damage and shorten the time of hospitalization because it accelerates the production of collagen. Michael Jackson was one of the first high profile celebrities to sleep in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

Hyperbaric oxygen is defined as oxygen at a pressure that is above one atmosphere (about 160mm of mercury) or high-pressure oxygen. Hyperbaric oxygen has been traditionally administered in a sealed, heavy-walled chamber.  Hyperbaric oxygen can also be administered topically which, means directly on fine lines, wrinkles, creases and acne lesions on your face. Skin Oxygen Treatment provides the lower layers of your skin with much needed oxygen and nutrients to repair and restructure skin cells. .It is administered through what looks like an airbrush in the hands of a professional esthetician or skin specialist.  

Benefits of a Skin Oxygen Treatment

With the added advantage of being a natural skin treatment, skin oxygen:

·         Is very skin hydrating and skin moisturizing

·         Helps rebuild your skin: plumps and smoothes fine lines, wrinkles and increases skin firmness

·         Provides energizing and healing effects to damaged, aged and dry skin

·         Is a Natural Acne Treatment by reducing acne skin bacteria, reducing inflammation and potential scarring

·         Provides oxygen to all levels of the skin

·         Stimulates collagen production at a cellular level speeding up the mitosis of the skin cells and helping in the healing process

·         Creates anti aging beauty by reversing the damage caused by free radicals

There are three specific skin conditions that respond extremely well to can Skin Oxygen Treatment: Skin Acne, Rosacea and Aging skin.

Skin Acne Treatment

“The needs of the epidermis can be supplied with oxygen from the atmosphere through a diffusion process.The epidermis, also needs additional oxygen, which is supplied by your capillaries. Our skin uses oxygen to kill bacteria, to supply energy to the cells, to reduce swelling, to stimulate fibroblast activity, to inhibit lipid oxidation and to initiate new blood vessel production.  By using wet oxygen—either mist-laden or in a solution—you are able to get effective levels of oxygen into the hair follicle, deep enough to reach the sebaceous gland. This is the number one reason for using topical oxygen for acne.” (2)

Skin oxygen has a bacteria kill mechanism that reacts with the lipid layer in cellular membranes to effectively punch holes in the cell membrane of bacteria. This causes the nucleic acids and other critical compounds to exit the cell, thereby killing the bacteria making it great for a  natural acne treatment.  Skin oxygen also kills bacterial pathogen that interrupts a healthy cell from creating its energy. (2)

Natural Rosacea Treatment

Rosacea Skin has a bacterial component and can have irritation from the skin mite, demodex.  Some rosacea skins respond well to skin oxygen treatments because many of the superficial and deep-surface bacteria are killed.  The demodex mite is probably eliminated by hyperbaric oxygen as well or at least made very unhappy.

Antiaging Treatment 

Anti Aging skin Treatment remains a major topic in science because, even today, the process isn’t fully understood. It is known, for example, that tissues and cells undergo damage, that a person’s DNA may also be damaged, and that a lot of systems do not work as well at age 50 as they do at age 20.

Aging skin is a result of a decrease in circulation, metabolic activity, ATP production and a sluggish immune system. Aging skin is also insulted daily with free radicals, both inside and outside the body. Any anti aging skin treatment should begin with an adequate antioxidant regimen. A Skin Oxygen Treatment is an excellent choice to be used as an adjunct treatment in any natural skin treatment program.

There has been a lot of research done in the area of Skin Oxygen Treatment. I hope that this article has helped you understand the importance of oxygen for optimum health of your skin as well as the health of your body. A Skin Oxygen Treatment can be used to enhance any skin facial treatment. It is anti acne, antiaging, antioxidant, and helps to clear rosacea skins. Remember that anti aging beauty using natural skin treatments is an art that is individually crafted.  Your skin goals and the condition of your skin is the most important factor in customizing any skin care program. Be sure your skin care specialist is well educated, has effective all natural skin care products and therapies available, and is skilled in how to use them.

Grace Mosgeller has been a licensed esthetician since 1997 and can be reached at www.jacquelinegraceskin.com

REFERENCES

1.     ‘Flood Your Body with Oxygen’ by Ed McCabe

2.     Dr. Peter Pugliese, The Practical Use of Topical Oxygen September 2008 issue of Skin Inc. Magazine

3.     Oxiana Skin Therapy Treatment Manual

4.     M Strucker et al, The cutaneous uptake of atmospheric oxygen contributes significantly to the oxygen supply of human dermis and epidermis. J Physiol (538) 985–994 (2002).