DHA was first recognises as a skin coloring agent by German scientists in the 1920's. Through its use in the x-ray process, it was noted as causing the skin surface tot urn brown when spilled.
In the 1950's, Eva Wittgenstein at the University of Cincinnati did further research with dihydroxyacetone. Her studies involved using DHA as an oral drug for assisting children with glycogen storage disease. The children received large doses of DHA by mouth and sometimes spat or spilled the substance onto their skin. Healthcare workers noticed that the skin turned brown after a few hours of DHA exposure.
Eva Wittgenstein continued to experiment with DHA painting liquid solutions of it onto her own skin. She was able to consistently reproduce the pigmentation effect and noted that DHA did not penetrate beyond the stratum corneum or dead skin surface layer. Research then continued on DHA's skin colouring effect in relation to treatment for patients suffering from vitiligo.
This skin browning effect is non-toxic and similar to the Maillard reaction. DHA reacts chemically with the amino acids in the skin, which are part of the protein containing keratin layer on the skin surface. Various amino acids react differently to DHA producing different tones of coloration from yellow to brown. The resulting pigments are called melanoidins. These are similar in coloration to melanin, the natural substance in the deeper skin layers which brown or "tan" from exposure to UV rays.
In the 1950's, Eva Wittgenstein at the University of Cincinnati did further research with dihydroxyacetone. Her studies involved using DHA as an oral drug for assisting children with glycogen storage disease. The children received large doses of DHA by mouth and sometimes spat or spilled the substance onto their skin. Healthcare workers noticed that the skin turned brown after a few hours of DHA exposure.
Eva Wittgenstein continued to experiment with DHA painting liquid solutions of it onto her own skin. She was able to consistently reproduce the pigmentation effect and noted that DHA did not penetrate beyond the stratum corneum or dead skin surface layer. Research then continued on DHA's skin colouring effect in relation to treatment for patients suffering from vitiligo.
This skin browning effect is non-toxic and similar to the Maillard reaction. DHA reacts chemically with the amino acids in the skin, which are part of the protein containing keratin layer on the skin surface. Various amino acids react differently to DHA producing different tones of coloration from yellow to brown. The resulting pigments are called melanoidins. These are similar in coloration to melanin, the natural substance in the deeper skin layers which brown or "tan" from exposure to UV rays.
