Cannabidiol or CBD, an active ingredient in marijuana, may protect against ultraviolet-A radiation (UVA), according to new research in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The prospective, single-center pilot clinical trial involved 19 participants who applied either a nano-encapsulated CBD cream or the same cream without CBD to blinded spots on the skin of the buttocks twice daily for 14 days.
Following this period, the treated skin areas were exposed to up to three times the amount of ultraviolet radiation needed to burn/injure the skin. After 24 hours, skin biopsies were taken for detailed analysis to assess for cellular and DNA damage well known to be associated with UVA exposure.
Fully 21% of participants showed less redness on CBD-treated skin compared to control-treated skin at 24 hours post-exposure. Skin thickening on biopsies was significantly reduced in the CBD-treated skin as compared to controls, highlighting that CBD prevented the expected UVA skin cell injury. In addition, application of CBD cream effectively reduced DNA damage and DNA mutations associated with UVA-induced skin aging/damage and ultimately skin cancer, the study showed.
“This innovative trial is the first to establish the potential protective capacity of CBD, when purposefully delivered, in humans against the harmful effects of UVA radiation, both validating and marking a significant advancement in the field of cannabinoid-based skin care,” says study author and TDD Editorial Advisory Board Member Adam Friedman, MD, Professor and Chair of Dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC, in a news release.
