There are various unpleasant skin conditions that affect the Asian population more than others like the Western population. Many factors contribute to these skin problems such as hot weather and too much sun exposure, genetics and skin colour as well as pollution. Common skin problems faced by the general population here in Asia are such as acne and its scars, saggy skin, pigmentation, sunburn, wrinkles, and pre-cancerous skin conditions.
Treatments of skin conditions have evolved rapidly through the past two decades ranging from lotions and supplements to laser therapies. However, the former methods usually take longer time and their efficacy often poor in achieving desirable results. Recently there has been ongoing research on the effect of nitric oxide application on treatments of the skin.
What is Nitric oxide? Is it the same as nitric acid?
Nitric oxide is a diatomic gas and it is not the same as nitric acid which is a solution with low pH. Nitric oxide (NO) has been endogenously (physiologically) produced by our body for many important functions. It is also a by-product that can be both good and bad to our cellular function. Nitric acid, on the other hand, is a corrosive substance that can cause chemical burns on the skin.
Inside our body, NO has a role in vasodilation of the blood vessels. NO functions as a physiological dilator to a small and medium-size blood vessel such as arteries. A low level of NO is implicated in conditions such as Raynaud’s phenomenon, erectile dysfunction, and angina pectoris (heart-ache). Hence, the reason why many pharmaceutical products that treat these disease, aims to increase endogenous or externally provide NO into the circulation.
What are the benefits of Nitric oxide on the skin?
While its derivative nitric acid causes burning and peeling of the skin, NO, on the other hand, has been shown to benefit the skin cosmetically and medically. On the latter application, NO has a broad anti-microbial effect of the skin infection. In fact, new studies also have shown no resistance developed by the bacteria which has been a big dilemma for the development of anti-bacterial agents nowadays.
In the cosmetics side, there are three major potential applications namely in tanning, anti-aging and collagen stimulation. Tanning in this context is not the same as the usual tanning procedure as NO does not exhibit quick action of skin tanning. NO is postulated to stimulate a process known as melanogenesis which is important for pigmentation. This does not only give natural pigmentations that blend with the natural tone of the skin but also believed to protect against skin cancer.
There are people who have natural anti-aging skin and these people are believed to have their cells producing more NO to fight reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cancer-causing by-products (carcinogenic). This gives an anti-oxidant property to NO which is important to the anti-aging process of the skin.
Last but not least, the application of NO topically (on the skin) also helps in the growth of collagen specifically type 1 collagen by fibroblast cells in the skin. This action helps to fill the volume in the skin thus treating conditions like acne scars and wrinkles. However, there is still ongoing development in this area to effectively prove its efficacy.
NO as treatments of skin conditions are still not fully established as the other skin therapies hence the reason why it is not fully known by the public. There are plenty of good reviews clinically and from doctors’ practices worldwide and if you have questions regarding NO skin treatment, please consult your doctor first before trying them.
