Plasma Treatment - Results of Skin Microbiome Analysis.

PURPOSE

Skin health is deeply linked with the balance of resident bacteria, and a disturbance in this balance can readily cause skin problems. Sterilization with plasma treatment offers potential to improve symptoms in patients with acne vulgaris or atopic dermatitis. The aim of this study was to examine the antibacterial effect of plasma and analyze the correlation between changes in the balance of resident skin bacteria and clinical symptoms following plasma treatment in patients with acne vulgaris or atopic dermatitis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Five patients each with acne vulgaris or atopic dermatitis of moderate severity were treated with plasma irradiation of their face (including lesions) using a nitrogen plasma device called NeoGen Plasma Skin Regeneration. Changes in the resident flora were assessed before and after irradiation using next-generation sequencing.

RESULTS

At 24 hours, the proportion of Propionibacterium acnes decreased from 31.2% to 16.2%, and Staphylococcus epidermidis increased from 10.8% to 11.7%; in patients with atopic dermatitis, Staphylococcus aureus decreased from 4.2% to 2.1%. Across all 10 patients, there was a significant increase in Simpson's Index (P=0.045), indicating improvement of the microbiome balance of resident bacteria.

CONCLUSION

Plasma treatment had a sterilization effect and improved microbiome balance. Larger studies are therefore warranted.