PEMF therapy can have an immediate healing effect on a variety of skin problems including eczema or psoriasis and skin lesions caused by melanomas, diabetes and wounds. Widely accepted as an anti-inflammatory, immunity boosting therapy, pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy can be a great aid for any one with chronic skin conditions. Indeed, for anyone wanting age defying skin, PEMF is the answer to your prayers and will help you save a lot of money too spent on lotions or skin creams. Let us learn about the skin problems and review the research on PEMF for dermatitis and other skin conditions.
Skin problems Crisis
As per the National Eczema association, about 10% of the US population suffers from Eczema. All the more reason, to not sell permanent cures and make sure it turns chronic, as a little itch for you and lots of profit for the industry wouldn’t hurt right?!
Suffering from Eczema is not easy, itchiness and red flaky skin disturbs the mind too. Most of us would visit a Dermatologist and come back home with a skin lotion loaded with Parabens and other chemicals we know nothing about. As it worsens, steroids come into play and eventually more serious side-effects start taking the toll. It’s not uncommon to hear about getting skin cancer even after visiting the Dermatologist from the very beginning.
Eczema and Psoriasis conditions have many varieties such as atopic dermatitis, nummular eczema, rosacea and others. Most of these conditions are due to toxins build up in the body. Since the skin is the last option the body has to eliminate toxins, when the skin is inflamed chronically, it’s a pretty serious sign. For adults, it could be a wake up call to change their lifestyle and avoid allergens. Can PEMF therapy for skin problems like eczema be the first line of defense to detox and beat inflammation?
PEMF therapy for Aging, Eczema & Skin Lesions
The skin is made of multiple layers. Our skin is made up of an outer layer (epidermis), a middle layer (dermis) and an inner layer (subcutaneous layer). In dermatitis and eczema, these skin tissues are inflamed and stop protecting the body from contamination from environmental pathogens and the skin starts getting itchy rashes.
The way PEMF therapy works for Eczema and indeed any inflammation 1 , is that it directly improves oxygenation in the cells responsible for the inflammation. PEMF devices work on the skin and indeed any condition by improving oxygen carrying capacity of cells in the body; mitochondria, the power houses of the cells are supercharged. This boosts the immunity of the body to an extent where toxins and allergens are fought off effectively.
Sorry, you can’t expect that to happen with skin creams or lotions. Steroids and hormone therapies try to mimic such results, but the side-effects are often not explored by users to make an informed decision.
By boosting the most basic energy your cells thrive on, balance is achieved with PEMF therapy by appropriately using PEMF devices to target the affected area. Today, dermatologists and skin experts can find some great PEMF devices for skin.
For example, whole-body PEMF mats can be used to treat the entire body with a fair dose to the skin while specialized PEMF face masks can be utilized to treat the facial skin. Of course, careful evaluation of the research and the electromagnetic field characteristics would be needed to choose the best PEMF settings for skin treatment.
A study by Korean scientists, found that radiotherapy and PEMF for facial skin aging improved skin tightness, nasolabial fold (smile lines), facial contour and skin color tone. 2
Recently in 2022, scientists studied the effects of PEMF stimulation on ischemic skin model. They concluded that PEMF therapy can improve blood flow and reduce skin necrosis. 3
In another PEMF trial on atopic dermatitis or eczema using an animal model, it was found that PEMF stimulation reduced the lesion size. 4
In 2015, a randomized-clinical trial was conducted Italian scientists to study the regenerative effects of PEMF therapy applied to the pelvis to treat inflammation, lesions and tissue disorders in on patients affected by urinary incontinence and post-surgical complications, sexual dysfunction, and pelvic pain. They found that PEMF therapy along with their rehabilitation protocols reduced skin or cutaneous lesions by 50% in 60% of cases and 35% of the cases healed completely. 5
Be wary of going to popular physical therapy clinics that offer EPAs such as Ultrasound, IF and other Electrotherapy modalities, these do not have a life extension effect and have no cellular regeneration effects. Read our study on Difference between PEMF devices and Electrotherapy Products (TENS) to learn more.
PEMF therapy is not just for Eczema or Psoriasis
Even in chronic conditions such as refractory ulcers, PEMF therapy can be of real benefit in terms of faster healing. These case reports 6 show the benefits for PEMFs in the treatment of skin ulceration in diabetes and is suggestive of a potential benefit of PEMF devices. There are several research studies 7 8 9 where PEMF therapy has been shown to heal diabetic ulcers.
It’s important to understand that the skin is the largest organ of our body. If there’s a chronic inflammation in the skin, it indicates a deeper seated issue related to immunity.
Symptomatic application might heal the skin and works fine for a few days or a few months, but if the underlying cause goes untreated, be prepared for other serious concerns.
With regular use of PEMF therapy, it is easy to have soft glowing skin. PEMF devices can also boost collagen levels 10 and help in skin tightening. Of course it all depends on the efficacy of the PEMF device you choose and the treatment time. Low to medium intensity PEMFs can be applied life long for continuous improvement and sustenance. With PEMF therapy, true longevity and anti-aging becomes possible. Molecular hydrogen, low-level laser, polarized light, and static magnetic fields are other great wellness technologies which have good amount of research for improving soft tissues and skin health.
Citations
1. Selvam R, Ganesan K, Narayana R, Gangadharan A, Manohar B, Puvanakrishnan R. Low frequency and low intensity pulsed electromagnetic field exerts its antiinflammatory effect through restoration of plasma membrane calcium ATPase activity. Life Sci. 2007;80(26):2403-2410.
2. Lee YB, Eun YS, Lee JH, Cheon MS, Cho BK, Park HJ. Effects of multi-polar radiofrequency and pulsed electromagnetic field treatment in Koreans: case series and survey study. Journal of Dermatological Treatment. Published online September 19, 2012:310-313. doi:10.3109/09546634.2012.714454
3. Lee J, Kim J, Lee N, Lee Y. Effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields stimulation on ischemic skin model. Electromagn Biol Med. 2022;41(1):15-24. doi:10.1080/15368378.2021.1963763
4. Kim J, Lee J, Lee J, et al. Evaluation of Atopic Dermatitis Improvement Caused by Low-Level, Low-Frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields. Bioelectromagnetics. 2022;43(4):268-277. doi:10.1002/bem.22405
5. Aragona S, Mereghetti G, Lotti J, Vosa A, Lotti T, Canavesi E. Electromagnetic field in control tissue regeneration, pelvic pain, neuro-inflammation and modulation of non-neuronal cells. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2017;31(2 Suppl. 2):219-225. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28702986
6. Guerriero F, Botarelli E, Mele G, et al. Effectiveness of an Innovative Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields Stimulation in Healing of Untreatable Skin Ulcers in the Frail Elderly: Two Case Reports. Case Rep Dermatol Med. 2015;2015:576580.
7. Kwan R, Wong W, Yip S, Chan K, Zheng Y, Cheing G. Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy promotes healing and microcirculation of chronic diabetic foot ulcers: a pilot study. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2015;28(5):212-219.
8. Choi H, Cheing A, Ng G, Cheing G. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on the tensile biomechanical properties of diabetic wounds at different phases of healing. PLoS One. 2018;13(1):e0191074.
9. Ferroni L, Gardin C, Pieri A, et al. Treatment of diabetic foot ulcers with Therapeutic Magnetic Resonance (TMR®) improves the quality of granulation tissue. Eur J Histochem. 2017;61(3):2800.
10. Ahmadian S, Zarchi S, Bolouri B. Effects of extremely-low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields on collagen synthesis in rat skin. Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2006;43(Pt 2):71-75.