title: Cold plasma is well-tolerated and does not disturb skin barrier or reduce skin moisture.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cold plasma, a new treatment principle in dermatology based on ionic discharge delivering reactive molecular species and UV-light, exhibits strong antimicrobial efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Before implementing plasma as new medical treatment tool, its safety must be proven, as well as assessing skin tolerance and patient acceptance.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the plasma effects of three different plasma sources (pulsed, non-pulsed atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) and a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)) on the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin moisture after treating the fingertips of four healthy male volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TEWL values were reduced by pulsed APPJ and DBD by about 20% but increased after non-pulsed APPJ by 5-20%. TEWL values normalized 30 min after all forms of plasma treatment. Skin moisture was increased immediately and 30 min after treatment with pulsed APPJ but was not affected by non-pulsed APPJ and DBD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All plasma treatments were well-tolerated and did not damage the skin barrier nor cause skin dryness. Cold plasma fulfils basic recommendations for safe use on human skin and as future option may serve as the first physical skin antiseptic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology of the Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany. georg.daeschlein@uni-greifswald.de
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Daeschlein
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.forename: Raees
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Abhijit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majumdar
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: von Woedtke
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haase
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Niggemeier
authors.forename: Eckhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kindel
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brandenburg
authors.forename: Klaus Dieter
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Weltmann
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jünger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001834:Body Water / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012869:Skin Absorption / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D014870:Water Loss, Insensible / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D058626:Plasma Gases