Bleach Solution Reverses Aging, Heals Skin Damage

Bleach and some water are all a person needs to reverse the signs of aging and heal damaged skin, researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine found.

For decades, dilute bleach baths have been used to treat eczema, though it was not clear why they worked. The new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, cracks the code, according to its authors.

"Originally it was thought that bleach may serve an antimicrobial function, killing bacteria and viruses on the skin," said Dr. Thomas Leung, an instructor in dermatology at Stanford and a pediatric dermatologist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

However, Leung knew that the concentrations weren't high enough for this to be the only reason.

"Dr. Leung relentlessly followed his hunch that an antimicrobial effect of dilute bleach wasn't the whole story," said Dr. Seung Kim, a professor of developmental biology and the study's lead author. "And his work has revealed new mechanisms for targeting inflammatory pathways with this versatile small molecule. It has also identified new possible clinical applications."

Leung hypothesized that bleach somehow blocked the inflammatory response triggered when skin is damaged. To test this, he and his colleagues focused on a molecule called nuclear factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of activated B cells, or NF-kB, which is known to play a key role in inflammation, aging and radiation response.

The researchers exposed skin cells to 0.005 percent bleach for one hour before treating them with a signaling molecule that activates NF-kB function, finding that the solution prevented the expression of multiple genes regulated by NF-kB.

"We found that the bleach solution oxidizes and inhibits an activator necessary for NF-kB to enter the nucleus, essentially blocking NF-kB's effect," Leung said.

The researchers then examined the effects of 30-minute regular water baths versus bleach solution baths on lab mice with radiation dermatitis, a common side effect of radiation therapy for cancer. Those treated with the bleach solution showed less skin damage and overall increased healing and hair regrowth.

Finally, the looked at older lab mice.

"Multiple research studies have linked increased NF-kB activity with aging," Leung said. "We found that if we blocked NF-kB activity in elderly laboratory mice by bathing them in the bleach solution, the animals' skin began to look younger. It went from old and fragile to thicker, with increased cell proliferation." 

The effect stopped once regular bath treatments ended, however.

Going forward, the researchers are considering clinical trials in humans as well as looking for other disease that could be treated by dilute bleach baths.

"It's possible that, in addition to being beneficial to radiation dermatitis, it could also aid in healing wounds like diabetic ulcers," Leung said. "This is exciting because there are so few side effects to dilute bleach. We may have identified other ways to use hypochlorite to really help patients. It could be easy, safe and inexpensive."