CBD applied to the skin can prevent and repair damage from ultraviolet-A radiation, a first of its kind study has found.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, recruited twenty healthy volunteers aged between 23-64. Participants were then given either a nanoparticle-encapsulated cannabidiol cream or a placebo to apply to their buttocks twice per day for two weeks. They then received targeted irradiation with UVA, and after 24 hours biopsies were taken and analysed for indicators of skin damage.
The results showed that in 50% of individuals, CBD cream stopped UVA-induced deletion of ND4 – a specific injury to DNA that occurs from UVA exposure. 21% had less erythema – redness of the skin that can be caused by solar exposure.
“This work highlights the protective potential of CBD against UVA-induced DNA and mtDNA damage,” the study authors said.
“We demonstrated nCBD-treated samples had less profound UV-related epidermal hyperplasia, a reduction in UVA-associated increase in premutagenic marker OGG1, and a reduction of two major UVA-induced mtDNA deletions associated with skin photoaging.”
While the results show that CBD could play an important role in protecting the skin from UV rays, the study emphasised that CBD isn’t an alternative to traditional protection from the sun.
“The impacts of ultraviolet (UV) radiation are well described from accelerated skin aging to skin cancer and, while sunscreens and other protective measures are certainly helpful, none of them are full proof,” said Adam Friedman, a professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University who was involved in the study.
“This isn’t a sunscreen,” Friedman said. “The idea here is not that this will replace sunscreen but that it will prevent or repair damage.”
The study was limited by its small sample size, and the authors also highlighted that all participants had fair skin, stating that further research was needed to understand if the effects of CBD protecting against skin damage could be replicated in people with darker skin. Despite the limitations, the researchers believe the results were promising. “We don’t want to stop here,” Friedman said. “Our goal is to use this to fuel future investigations…. and I really hope we can use this to address unmet needs in medical dermatology.”
