How DMSO Revolutionizes Skin Care and Dermatology

December 27, 2024

Story at-a-glance

DMSO has unique therapeutic properties that address the root causes of various illnesses, including many skin-related issues
DMSO protects the skin from damage (e.g., radiation, chemotherapy, freezing, blood loss) and promotes the healing of injuries like burns, chronic wounds, and surgical incisions
It also addresses common dermatological conditions like hair loss, psoriasis, shingles, herpes, skin cancer, lichen sclerosis, acne, eczema, sunburn, and skin infections
DMSO treats circulatory disorders such as hemorrhoids, varicose veins, venous and diabetic ulcers, and Raynaud’s
DMSO also helps with issues such as nail problems, pruritus, mastitis, insect/animal bites, and skin growths. The article reviews how DMSO can be used for each of those conditions

Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) is a remarkably safe and naturally occurring substance¹ (provided you use it correctly) that rapidly improves a variety of conditions medicine struggles with — particularly chronic pain.² For reference, those conditions included:

Strokes, paralysis, a wide range of neurological disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome and dementia) and many circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud’s, varicose veins, hemorrhoids), which I discussed here.

A wide range of tissue injuries such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, spinal cord injuries (discussed here).

Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis or complex regional pain syndrome), which I discussed here.

A wide range of autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed here).

A variety of head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis (discussed here).

A wide range of internal organ diseases such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed here).

This begs an obvious question — if a substance capable of doing all of that exists, why does almost no one know about it? Simply put, like many other promising therapies, it fell victim to a pernicious campaign by the FDA which kept it away from America despite decades of scientific research, Congressional protest, and thousands of people pleading for the FDA to reconsider their actions. Consider for example this 60 Minutes program about DMSO that aired on March 23, 1980:

Video Link

Fortunately, we have now entered an unprecedented era where the FDA’s war against natural medicine is at last coming to an end:³

DMSO and the Skin

DMSO is able to treat so many different conditions because its therapeutic properties (e.g., being highly anti-inflammatory,⁴ improving circulation,⁵ stabilizing proteins⁶ and rescuing cells trapped in the cell danger response⁷) underlie many different disorders. In turn, individuals who take it for one issue will frequently observe other issues fix themselves as well — particularly since DMSO rapidly spreads throughout the body once administered.⁸

As a result, since opening up this topic, I’ve received over a thousand reports from readers who have had almost unbelievable results from DMSO — many of which came from surprised readers who had a condition I had not yet covered improve (e.g., better sleep and more vivid dreams⁹).

Note: Unexpected improvements are also commonly reported from other systemic therapies that treat the root cause of disease like ultraviolet blood irradiation (a therapy which has numerous effects that overlap with DMSO’s).

Since DMSO is often applied through the skin, the DMSO field quickly noticed DMSO helped a lot of skin conditions, to the point some doctors began using DMSO¹⁰ as their default treatment for challenging dermatologic cases when they weren’t sure what else to do (as it often worked and posed no risk to their patients).

Likewise, I’ve received a large number of reports from readers that discovered DMSO greatly helped a variety of skin condition. These include:

It causing aging skin to be rejuvenated and look much younger and healthier (e.g., it happened in a few days to a 101 year old grandmother,¹¹ another reader reported incredibly smooth skin,¹² another reported clearer skin¹³ and another reported¹⁴ smoother skin on her face despite not applying it there and another reported¹⁵ it improved crepey skin on the neck and sun damaged skin on the chest). Likewise, this reader reported a significant improvement of ancient stretch marks.¹⁶

A dramatic improvement of chronic hemorrhoids,^17,^18,¹⁹ spider veins,²⁰ and varicose veins.^21,^22,^23,^24,^25,^26,^27,^28,²⁹

Dozens of acute burns³⁰ rapidly recovering and severe burns healing (e.g., a reader astonished by the complete recovery of a ten year old third-degree finger pad burn,³¹ a reader who had it rapidly treat blistering burns on the thighs,³² a father recovered from a severe electrical fire burn),³³ and sunburns.³⁴

Accelerating the healing of bruises^35,³⁶ (including from IV lines³⁷ or traumatic falls.^38,³⁹) along with it dissipating capillary bleeds under the skin^40,⁴¹ and reducing leg swelling.⁴²

Accelerating the healing of an ear surgery⁴³ a significant leg rash (that followed a traumatic impact)⁴⁴ and a punctured cuticle.⁴⁵

Genital herpes (including outbreaks where nothing else worked).^46,⁴⁷

Mastitis⁴⁸ and other bacterial and fungal skin infections.^49,^50,⁵¹

Classic dermatologic conditions like actinic keratosis,⁵² hidradenitis suppurativa,⁵³ lichen planus,⁵⁴ lichen sclerosis,⁵⁵ lumps,⁵⁶ elbow and eyelid growths,^57,⁵⁸ moles,⁵⁹ sebaceous cysts,⁶⁰ and plantar warts,⁶¹ psoriasis,⁶² rosacea⁶³ and severe chronic itching,⁶⁴ skin tags,⁶⁵ seborrheic keratosis.⁶⁶

It being miraculous for poison ivy,⁶⁷ and fire ant bites^68,⁶⁹ along with using it for a black widow bite,⁷⁰ or pit viper bites.⁷¹

Large abscess in cat,⁷² oozing cysts in a Golden Retriever⁷³ and severe vasculitis in a dog.⁷⁴

Other challenging skin conditions that lacks safe or effective treatment option (e.g., "a miserable one nothing else worked on").^75,⁷⁶

As I will show in this article, those same effects have also been reported throughout the medical literature — yet remarkably, the dermatologic profession remains unaware of it.

Skin Microcirculation

I presently believe two of the most critical things for skin health is its microcirculation and the minute fluid movement within its interstitium⁷⁷ (a newly discovered organ system that conducts interstitial fluid throughout the body I realized has many parallels to Chinese’s medicine’s twelfth organ, the Triple Burner⁷⁸).

A myriad of skin conditions in turn respond to improving these circulations (e.g., by improving the skin’s zeta potential or applying DMSO). Likewise, we believe the health of this circulation determines if sunlight can be transferred into the body through the skin and function as a critical nutrient for the body or if it is unable to and prolonged sunlight exposure instead burns the skin.

Note: This transfer is also heavily influenced by the health of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (which like Dr. Mercola I believe is a key component of health). Additionally, it is often heavily influenced by what we eat (e.g., changing one’s diet can significantly improve their metabolism of sunlight and reduce their tendency to sunburn).

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Protecting the Skin

Many of DMSO’s therapeutic properties come from its ability to protect tissues⁷⁹ (e.g., the brain and the internal organs) from danger and death. Numerous studies in turn, corroborate DMSO’s ability to protect the skin:

DMSO can treat tissue damage from chemotherapy drugs that cause ulcers by leaking into surrounding areas (as shown by many studies,⁸⁰ including one where it protected the eyelids from chemotherapy injected in their vicinity⁸¹).
It protects skin during freezing and thawing^82,^83,⁸⁴ include a case where DMSO saved fingers from frostbite that would otherwise require amputation.⁸⁵
DMSO protects skin cells from radiation damage^86,^87,^88,^89,^90,⁹¹ and shields skin from gamma radiation exposure.⁹²
DMSO reduces skin irritation caused by pulsed ruby lasers and enhances healing when combined with a low dose of a topical steroid.⁹³
It protects surgically created skin flaps from dying due to poor blood flow^94,^95,^96,^97,^98,^99,^100,^101,^102,^103,¹⁰⁴ (including in a rat model of smokers¹⁰⁵) and shows promise in plastic surgery applications.¹⁰⁶

Burns

The protective mechanism of DMSO which most commonly applies to the skin is its remarkable utility for burns and sunburns (e.g., I’ve received over a dozen reports of it immediately healing a cooking burn).

DMSO in turn has been shown to treat a variety of burns (e.g., superficial burns¹⁰⁷ or partial thickness burn wounds¹⁰⁸) without being prone to producing infections.

Studies, such as one by Russian burn specialists,¹⁰⁹ found DMSO superior to other existing treatments. It has also been shown to prevent severe acid burns¹¹⁰ from worsening and helps heal alkali burns to the esophagus¹¹¹ and eyes by inhibiting destructive inflammation.¹¹²

Note: In one extraordinary instance DMSO was reported to rescue a child’s finger that had been charred black after being held in a light socket.¹¹³

Venous Disorders

Presently, I believe many venous disorders arise from a combination of weakened blood vessels which is often due to inadequate nutrition and an impaired physiologic zeta potential (discussed further here) which creates congestion in the veins.

Furthermore, this becomes much more problematic if the blood vessels are weakened, a very common issue in patients with hypermobility (who tend to also be much more vulnerable to pharmaceutical injuries) due to them also having looser blood vessel walls.

Since DMSO is venotropic (enhances venous function), anti-inflammatory,¹¹⁴ and eliminates pain,¹¹⁵ a group of investigators tested¹¹⁶ a spray containing DMSO plus a few other medications on ulcers and over three years found:

Others also had success with this spray. In one double-blind study, it healed the veins of patients who had recovered from DVTs,¹¹⁷ while another team found it decreased the visible hyperpigmentation and indurations in post-thrombotic patients and improved the healing of veins that were operated on.^118,^119,¹²⁰

Note: While there are numerous studies showing DMSO’s utility for varicose veins, I am not aware of any on its use in hemorrhoids. That said, Stanley Jacob (the pioneer of DMSO) reported successfully treating hemorrhoids with DMSO,¹²¹ another DMSO author (who studied under Jacob) also uses DMSO to treat hemorrhoids,¹²² and Merck reported it improved recovery after their surgical removal.¹²³

Lastly, I was recently sent pictures showing two different people’s leg before DMSO and then 24 hours after:^124,¹²⁵

Wound Healing

DMSO is highly effective in healing tissue throughout the body. For example:

A veterinary study showed DMSO applied to open horse wounds promoted healthy granulation, reduced excessive growth, and disinfected contaminated wounds without pus formation.¹²⁶
It accelerates wound healing in diabetic and nondiabetic mice¹²⁷ and enhances tissue regeneration in burned skin.¹²⁸ DMSO even speeds up the regeneration of lost limbs in newts by 2 to 3 days.¹²⁹
A 1998 Russian study found that DMSO accelerates surgical wound healing and provides infection control, consistent with other studies on its effectiveness in wound recovery.¹³⁰
A large number of studies also show that DMSO can prevent surgical incisions from developing adhesions or keloid scars, and in many cases reduce or eliminate scars.¹³¹

Ulcers

DMSO’s ability to both heal tissue and restore tissue blood supply (e.g., it frequently treats Raynaud’s disease¹³²) makes it uniquely suited to treat challenging chronic nonhealing ulcers:

• A study evaluated the use of local DMSO for 20 diabetics with peripheral neuropathy and perforating foot ulcers. Complete healing occurred in 14 (70%) patients after 4 to 15 weeks of daily treatment, whereas in controls receiving conventional treatment, only 2 out of 20 recovered.¹³³

• A study reported on the 1371 Chilean dermatologic patients they treated over 22 months who received a DMSO spray also containing other pharmacologic agents.¹³⁴

Of those patients (many of whom had not responded to years of treatment), 1,313 (95.04%) were completely restored or cured, and the patients were enabled to return to their usual activities — a dramatic effect that could not be obtained by any other available therapy. The other 4.96%, for various reasons, prematurely suspended treatment, and hence were no longer possible to observe or assess.

Note: 100% of the burn patients recovered, with none having the deforming scars typically seen after severe burns.

• A systematic review found that DMSO had low toxicity and was beneficial for wound healing and analgesia (particularly with ulcers).¹³⁵

Mixed Studies

Numerous studies evaluated DMSO’s effects on a variety of dermatologic conditions and hence cannot be grouped into a single category. A study of 152 patients¹³⁶ found DMSO dramatically helped all of the following patient cases:

67 varicose ulcers	7 shingles
10 herpes simplex (on the penis or the face)	8 impetigo
42 pityriasis versicolor	6 ingrown toenails and infected nails (here the improvement was only temporary)
2 pityriasis rosea	3 first and second degree burns
4 skin grafts

The paper also included photographs of some of these results:

Another study found¹³⁷ DMSO helped most of the following cases:

Keloids and hypertrophic scars (16 out of 23)	Peyronie's disease (1 out of 3)	Dupuytren's contractures (6 out of 9)
Scleroderma and sclerodermic changes (7 out of 11)	Palmoplantar keratoderma (17 out of 21)	Infiltrative processes of the lower limbs (6 out of 9)
Granuloma annulare (3 out of 5)	Hypertrophic lichen planus (3 out of 4)	Common warts (2 out of 4)
Burns (4 out of 4)	Shingles and post shingles neuralgia (10 out of 11)	Fibromas (2 out of 2)

A veterinary practice also reported¹³⁸ remarkable results for mammary gland engorgement, interdigital cysts, chronic inflammatory reactions to vaccinations, flea bite allergies and severe dermatitis of the nail bed.

Common Dermatologic Conditions

DMSO has also been shown to help a variety of other skin conditions including:

Hair loss — For over 40 years, DMSO has proven effective in stimulating hair growth by improving microcirculation and rescuing hair-producing cells,¹³⁹ especially when used early in the process. It has also helped individuals experiencing hair loss due to chemotherapy.

Note: One of the most common hair loss treatments, finasteride, is quite toxic and if possible should be avoided.

Acne and eczema — DMSO has been reported to treat acne and reduce scarring,¹⁴⁰ though no formal studies confirm this. Initial clinical guidance from Merck has noted positive results, and unpublished studies by Jacob showed improvement in 9 out 9 cases of dermatitis.¹⁴¹ DMSO has also been used to treat skin abscesses¹⁴² and pustular diseases.

Note: DMSO has also been found to treat suppurative (pustular) diseases.^143,¹⁴⁴

Psoriasis — Several studies have explored DMSO's use for psoriasis:

A 1967 study showed improvements with low concentrations, followed by a worsening (possibly due to an excessive DMSO dose).¹⁴⁵
A 1973 study of 33 patients with severe psoriasis found that an extract of camptotheca nuts dissolved in 70% DMSO was a "quick, effective and convenient treatment," as a year later, 21 had a complete resolution of the disease, while the remaining 12 had greatly improved.¹⁴⁶
A 1989 study found DMSO when combined with heparin treating persistent psoriasis plaques 54.3% had a complete resolution, 40% a partial, and 5.7% no benefit.¹⁴⁷
A 2009 study found DMSO, combined with topical corticosteroids, was very effective in treatment-resistant plaque-type psoriasis and could completely clear it in 3 to 4 weeks.¹⁴⁸

Note: Limited data also supports the use of DMSO for lichen planus and lichen sclerosis.¹⁴⁹

Severe itching (pruritus) — DMSO has been found effective in treating itching caused by amyloidosis, with significant relief in about four weeks.¹⁵⁰ It also had a 90% success rate for pruritus ani (anal itching).¹⁵¹

Mastitis — A few of my colleagues use topically applied DMSO to treat mastitis in lactating women. This use is supported by a double-blind study that applied topical DMSO to women with chronic cystic mastitis for one month.¹⁵²

Note: Numerous studies have also found DMSO is also very helpful for bovine mastitis.¹⁵³

Bites — DMSO is often helpful for insect, dog, and snake bites.¹⁵⁴ It has been used to treat venom from pit viper bites, preventing sloughing and scarring.¹⁵⁵

Skin growths and cancers — DMSO is reported to eliminate benign skin growths,¹⁵⁶ such as seborrheic keratosis and skin tags. Users have found it effective in reducing mole size and improving keloid scars.¹⁵⁷ Additionally, DMSO has been shown to have significant value in the treatment of skin cancer.

Conclusion

One of the major issues in medicine is that we are taught to view the body as an amalgamation of separate parts and each disease is hence viewed as an isolated condition (that often demands its own proprietary drug and its own specialist). In truth, there is a vast degree of interconnectedness to the body, and frequently, only a generalist who can grasp a full picture of the body can identify the actual cause of a patient’s illness.

In dermatology, there is some recognition of this, as while dermatologists are trained to diagnose over 3,000 different diseases,¹⁵⁸ they also are taught that many specific skin lesions are representative of certain illnesses deeper inside the body (e.g., a cancer).

However, as I’ve shown here, I believe DMSO’s ability to treat so many different skin conditions goes a step further and indicates that many dermatologic illnesses should instead be viewed as symptoms of key disease processes that underlie a wide range of medical disorders — a view which has been held by many schools of natural medicine throughout history.

Fortunately, we may at last be at a point where this is changing, as the unsustainability of our healthcare system that causes it to cost more each year (currently over 17.3% of GDP)¹⁵⁹ while simultaneously producing worse and worse health outcomes (currently America’s healthcare outcomes rank last amongst the affluent nations)¹⁶⁰ is at last reaching the point it cannot be continued.

As such, there is now an interest in the Forgotten Sides of Medicine unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime, and it is my sincere hope things like DMSO’s incredible ability to treat the skin can open the doors to many of its other even more remarkable uses.

Author's note: This is an abridged version of a longer article that goes into greater detail on the points discussed here, how DMSO is used for each of the conditions mentioned (along with other integrative approaches we’ve found help many of those skin conditions), and provides guidance for personal DMSO use (e.g., dosing, therapeutic precautions and where to obtain it). That article and its additional references can be read here.

A Note from Dr. Mercola About the Author

A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) is a board-certified physician from the Midwest and a longtime reader of Mercola.com. I appreciate AMD's exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and am grateful to share it. I also respect AMD’s desire to remain anonymous since AMD is still on the front lines treating patients. To find more of AMD's work, be sure to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine on Substack.

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