Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) shows clear beneficial effects on skin health and aging, supported by recent medical studies and clinical trials. HBOT enhances skin rejuvenation by increasing collagen production, improving skin elasticity, accelerating wound healing, and modulating cellular mechanisms related to aging.
In a prospective clinical trial, performed between 2016-2020, subjects were assigned to a three-month control period followed by three months of HBOT daily sessions. Skin biopsies were taken at baseline, after three months of no intervention (control) and 1-2 weeks following the last HBOT session. Trichrome, Orecin, lipofuscin and CD31 staining were used to evaluate collagen fibers, elastic fibers, senescent cells and blood vessels, respectively.
The skin biopsies revealed a significant increase in collage density, elastic fiber length, number of blood vessels, and also a significant decrease in fiber fragmentation and tissue senescent cells post HBOT.
Open-access impact journal on aging
Here are the mechanisms behind HBOT skin benefits: HBOT delivers oxygen at elevated pressures to skin cells, helping neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress, a major factor in cellular aging. It stimulates fibroblast activity, which is crucial for producing collagen and other proteins necessary for skin strength and elasticity. HBOT also blocks harmful cellular signals associated with aging, like SASP (Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype), and maintains telomere length, promoting longevity at the cellular level.
The therapy reduces angiogenesis signals (such as HIF-1α), which helps slow wrinkle formation by decreasing inflammatory cell infiltration and limiting matrix breakdown. Clinical evidence suggests that HBOT can suppress relevant signaling pathways and thereby attenuate skin aging and photoaging.
HBOT is already widely used to accelerate healing of chronic wounds, skin grafts, and flaps at risk of tissue death by promoting collagen synthesis and angiogenesis. In patients with radiation-induced skin fibrosis, HBOT even increased skin elasticity and improved retraction times, indicating significant restoration of skin health after injury.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy definitely has robust scientific support for its positive effects on skin health, anti-aging interventions, collagen synthesis, immune modulation, and reduction of oxidative stress.