FRIDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- High levels of oxygen may
slow the development of wrinkles by reducing skin damage caused by
ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from the sun - at least in mice,
Japanese researchers report.
University of Tokyo researchers found that hairless mice placed
in an oxygen chamber after exposure to UVB rays developed fewer
wrinkles and had less evidence of skin damage than hairless mice
exposed to UVB rays that didn't spend time in the oxygen
chamber.
In addition to a control group of eight hairless mice who were
not exposed to UVB radiation, researchers studied two groups of
mice exposed to a UVB radiation-emitting light three times per week
for five weeks. One group of eight mice received the radiation but
no oxygen treatment, and the other group of eight was exposed to
ultraviolet B and then placed in an oxygen chamber for two hours
after each irradiation.
The mice in both groups exposed to UVB radiation developed
wrinkles and thickened outer skin, but both conditions were more
prominent in the group that didn't receive the oxygen treatment,
researchers found.
The study appears online June 29 in the
American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and
Comparative Physiology.
It's not known whether high levels of oxygen would have the same
effect on human skin exposed to UVB rays. Further studies are
required, said the researchers in a news release.
Currently, the best way for people to avoid UVB ray-related
wrinkles is to use sunscreen, wear protective clothing and take
other measures to protect their skin from the sun.
More information
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration outlines how to
protect your skin from the sun.