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What is Hydrotherapy ?
Dermatological hydrotherapy, as has been practiced at the AVENE hydrotherapy center for over 30 years, stems from a combination of three areas of research.
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH, i.e. a better understanding of spring water. This stage has helped to map out the underground path of the spring water more clearly and, indirectly, provided knowledge on how to preserve all of its properties through a strict eco-environmental approach. The mineral composition, which remains constant over time, known as the 'mineral signature', has been explored down to the slightest detail. Discovering substances from original microflora in the depths of the hydromineral deposit has recently allowed us to define a biological signature for the spring water and to identify the active substances which are particularly useful in treating inflammation and pruritus.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY RESEARCH fully demonstrating the impact that this spring water can have in restoring the barrier function of the epidermis and in modulating inflammatory responses and immunity disorders of the skin.
CLINICAL EVALUATION, lastly, since even though the benefits of hydrotherapy have long been known, it was important for them to be confirmed with modern evaluation techniques. A high level of effectiveness has been validated for both psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, based on cohorts of more than 20,000 patients and using the PASI and SCORAD clinical scoring systems, as in the evaluation of drugs. The benefits were observed both at the end of the hydrotherapy treatment and in the following months, including for other conditions such as extensive burns and severe forms of ichthyosis. The high volume and level of the international publications which have come from this research have earned AVENE the reputation of being a leading center for modern hydrotherapy in dermatology. With this complementarity in the scientific approach, from understanding the water to its benefits in treating dermatoses, we have acquired an exceptional level of knowledge.
And the research continues...
