Hydrogen peroxide, blanching, and skin: an overview.
For more than a century, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) has been known as an antiseptic. Three percent H(2)O(2) is used in minor wound irrigations, producing oxygen bubbles and transient skin blanching. Many people who use H(2)O(2) as an antiseptic are alarmed at this phenomenon. This concise report provides probable mechanisms on how H(2)O(2)-induced skin blanching is produced.
Chan
Heidi P
HP
Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0989, USA. heidichan0220@yahoo.com
Maibach
Howard I
HI
D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006454:Hemoglobins; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects*
D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D006454:Hemoglobins; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins; C100003:deoxyhemoglobin; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide