Abstract
Balneotherapy with Dead Sea water has been reported as a successful treatment modality for psoriasis, atopic eczema and vitiligo, but the precise mode of action has escaped definition so far. The saturating salt concentration (346 g/litre) together with the unique UV spectrum have been suggested to trigger the release of pro‐inflammatory and chemotactic mediators. The results of our study show for the first time a high content of transition metal ions (manganese, iron and copper) in Dead Sea water. Using in vitro Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectroscopy, we were able to identify ‘pseudocatalase’ activity by observing the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H~2~O~2~) over time by Dead Sea water. Since patients with vitiligo accumulate millimolar levels of H~2~O~2~ in their skin, we followed the degradation of H~2~O~2~ in vivo again utilizing the same technique. The results of this in vitro and in vivo study show for the first time a ‘pseudocatalase’ activity of Dead Sea water and provide evidence that the antioxidant properties of Dead Sea water bathing could play an important role in this unique treatment modality. Furthermore, the use of non‐invasive in vivo FT‐Raman spectroscopy introduces an excellent biomedical application in investigative dermatology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.