Verneuil's disease AKA Hydradenitis Suppurative

[Gaby]

A potential excellent treatment would be ozone therapy. It is more and less the same concept as Hyperbaric chamber, only that ozone therapy is supposed to work much better. Stephen Edelson, author of "What your doctor may not tell you about autoimmune disease" always used it in his autoimmune patients. The best seems an IV on a clinic, but there are also topical applications.

There is this story on the web relate to hidradenitis suppurativa, _http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Hidradenitis_Suppurativa/forum/14680975-feeling-hopeless-tonight

The testimonials are heart breakening, but there is this one comment:

"Also using a OZONE treatment instead of surgery. Someone has done it 4 times now and all of her Hs is healing up going away and she has no infections now."

Another report from another site, _http://www.steadyhealth.com/Need_info_about_hydradenitis_t52961.html:

"since 1/2 a year ago i had tried rectal ozone insufflation to treat a severe case of bronchitis with excellent results..i figured i might as well try it for my hydradenitis.
with 2 days of an enema followed by a 20 minute rectal ozone insufflation treatment the sores had melted away and after 2 more treatments they were completely gone."

From http://www.o3center.org/Abstracts/OzoneTherapyinDermatosesPyoderma.html:

Ozone is one of a new therapeutic agents being used in dermatology. In a recent test, 64 patients (41 men and 23 women aged 15-64) suffering from different forms of pyoderma (ecthyma-6, erysipelas-1, furunculosis-18, hidradenitis-2, impetigo-29 and sycosis barbae-8) received ozone therapy (OT). Two of its standard forms were applied: autohemotherapy minor (AHT min, intramuscular injections of 10 mL 02/03 mixture in 5 ml of autoblood) and techniques with the use of a plastic bag. As a source of 02/03 mixture the ozonizer was used. The concentration of ozone was 7-20 g/ml. Along with OT most of the patients used traditional ointments. Clinical recovery was achieved in 51 patients, considerable improvement in 10, improvement in 1 and no positive results in 2 patients. These data compared with the results of the previous traditional treatment (ex. systemic antibiotics) in the same 20 patients showed a better and quicker improvement in most of them. Ozone therapy was well tolerated. It is safe to say that among the advantages of OT there are good tolerance, as well as the possibility of use in patients with candidiasis and intolerance to antibiotics, absence of pathogen resistance and relative inexpensiveness. Howerver at this time, OT can not ensure quick results in severe pyoderma (ecthyma, etc.) when systemic antibiotics can. Thus ozone therapy is an effective, safe and inexpensive approach to the treatment of pyoderma, it is worthy to be used.

Those are all hard-core skin problems. The results are outstanding!

There is a paper available on the web which explains how does it work, plus a report of an outstanding healing time for an extensive open wound:

Ozone and Ozonated Oils in Skin Diseases: A Review

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2910505/

Adjuvant combined ozone therapy for extensive wound over tibia

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134027/

It sounds promising to me in that it possibly deals with autoimmune problems related with skin problems and microbii overgrowth that the skin and its deeper layers aren't able to deal with.

 

[Laura]

Ozone and Ozonated Oils in Skin Diseases: A Review

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2910505/

Adjuvant combined ozone therapy for extensive wound over tibia

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134027/

It sounds promising to me in that it possibly deals with autoimmune problems related with skin problems and microbii overgrowth that the skin and its deeper layers aren't able to deal with.

How, exactly, are they ozonating these oils?

 

[Gaby]

How, exactly, are they ozonating these oils?

Good question. It seems they bubble high concentrations of ozone in any oil. From _http://www.oxygenhealingtherapies.com/ozonated_oils.html

The most common method is bubbling high concentrations of ozone through the oil of your choice. Oils that have been successfully ozonated include ozonated olive oil, ozonated jojoba oil, ozonated sesame oil, ozonated peanut oil, ozonated coconut oil, and many more. The most common is ozonated olive oil. These ozonated oils are desireable for their antibacterial properties as well as their healing properties. Making the ozonated oils sounds like an easy process, bubbling ozone through the oil. However, the process of making ozonated olive oil is similar to making ozonated water in that a certain protocol should be followed in order to be successful.

Where the ozonated oils differ from ozonated water is in the fact that the ozonated oil, when prepared properly, can hold the ozone almost indefinitely.

Ozonated oil also requires a considerably longer time to make, requiring 3 weeks to 3 months depending upon the concentration of ozone you are using, and the volume of oil you are ozonating.

You will find that the general rules about making ozonated oils are quite similar to making ozonated water:

1/ Use an ozone generator that produces high concentrations of ozone. UV Ozone Generators have an ozone output that is so low, that making ozonated oils is virtually impossible. You need to use a high quality Corona Discharge Ozone Generator.

2/ Large bubbles of ozone do not allow proper transfer of the ozone into the oil, therefore you must use only small bubbles. To make small bubbles you need a 'bubbler'. Although many companies provide bubbling stones, this is not a good idea. These 'stones' will be slowly destroyed by the ozone, and will impart impurities into the oil. Only use ozone resistant bubblers, preferably made from glass.

3/ Ozonate the oil in a glass vessel; never use plastic. This ensures that your water remains pure and uncontaminated.

4/ Success at creating ozonated olive oil (or other oils) is dependant upon the concentration of ozone that you use (the higher the better) the length of time you ozonate the oil, the amount of oil you ozonated, and the size of the bubbles. The shortest period of time that will be required for ozonating olive oil will be 3 weeks of constant ozonation.

5/ If you have an adjustable ozone generator, ozonate the oil at the highest ozone setting possible. It is for this reason that the best ozone generator to use is one that uses cold corona discharge technology. UV Ozone Generators can generate only approximately 1-3 ug/ml, cold plasma usually only 30 ug/ml but sometimes 60 ug/ml, where as cold corona ozone generators generate up to and beyond 100 ug/ml. Ozonating oil is one of the few cases where 'more is better'. Olive oil (and others) will absorb more ozone at the higher ozone concentrations. At the same time however you do not need to be concerned with having too much ozone in the oil, as oil is incapable of absorbing so much ozone that it would be harmful. Therefore ozonate away at the highest ozone output you have for the specified amount of time and you will make the best ozonated oil for your particular ozone generator. (If you have not yet purchased an ozone generator our recomendation is to purchase a high quality cold corona ozone generator with a long warranty - they will make the best ozonated water).

Summary:
Ozonated Olive Oil is an amazing substance, used for healing wounds that would otherwise not heal. Stories abound of patients unable to heal wounds with topical and IV antibiotics, finally able to heal their wounds with topical application of ozonated oilive oil. The secret? The Ozonated Olive Oil not only kills bacteria, fungus, and other pathogens thereby sterilizing the wound, but it also does what no antibiotic could possibly do - stimulate the healing process.

Our comments here mirror our comments regarding ozonated water, that is that the information regarding ozonated olive oil available on the internet is for the most part, incorrect. Therefore, in the near future, Oxygen Healing Therapies will be posting a series of articles here to provide you with the information you require in order to ensure that you achieve the goals you have in mind for your ozonated oil. We will be posting articles that obtain their information from documented studies and professional information. The internet is full of contradictory information regarding ozonated oil - we aim to provide you with simple, clear, and precise information. Stay Tuned.

The article was written in 2007 and then no more. But it sounds like the typical "we produce the best". It can't be that way if there are ozone clinics and centers doing this all over the world.

 

[Gaby]

Here is another description of ozonated oil:

Therapeutic Effects of Topical Application of Ozone on Acute Cutaneous Wound Healing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2698179/

Nowadays, O3 is profitably and practically employed as ozonated olive oil; this contains the O3 molecule stabilized as an ozonide between the double bonds of a monounsaturated fatty acid such as oleic acid, which is ideal for the topical use of O3 to treat chronically infected cutaneous and mucosal areas of the body (5). Ozonated materials referred to as ozonides are formed by the reaction of olefins with ozone. Any olefin can be treated with gaseous ozone to form an ozonide. The ozonide compositions have the capacity to deliver nascent oxygen deep within the lesion without causing primary skin irritation.

 

[Chu]

It seems to me that we are looking at different things. Ozone therapy would help when there is a real deep wound, basically. Like after a surgery. And if I'm understanding the studies correctly, one of the main things is the hydrogen peroxide effect in healing. That can be achieved with H2O2 directly, IMO.

But it would not do much in the way of preventing the clogging up of the follicles and glands to begin with. In fact, I'm very suspicious about what they say here:

The judicious use of ozone (O3) appears providential because first of all eliminates the pathogens and then, by releasing oxygen (O2), activates the proliferation of fibroblasts, hence the building of intercellular matrix with consequent proliferation of keratinoblasts and successive healing.

and here:

PDGF was expressed in dermal inflammatory cells, fibroblasts, epidermal cells and keratinocytes of hair follicles of the control group. The ozone group revealed a relatively higher PDGF expression, as compared to the oil group. There was a relatively distinct difference in the dermis between the former and the latter. TGF-β expressions were detected in the dermal fibroblasts, epidermal cells and keratinocytes of the hair follicles of the control group. Likewise, the ozone group showed a relatively increased expression of TGF-β, as compared to the oil group. VEGF expression was identified in dermal fibroblasts, endothelial cells and collagen fibers, but it was barely detected in the epidermis of the control group. The ozone group revealed a relatively increased VEGF expression in both the dermis and the epidermis, as compared to the oil group.

These findings suggested that O3 could induce the keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation and it could affect skin biology.

One of the things that people seem to agree on about HS is that the clogging of the follicles (and possibly the glands) is due to hyperkeratinization. So IMO, we want to be very careful about this, and more research is required., unless I totally misunderstood the papers.

I haven't found anything clear on keratinoblasts so far. But there was this on one paper:

Sulfurs are able to penetrate the skin, and a sulfur-rich balneotherapy is known to
be effective in the treatment of psoriasis. These data suggest that H2S might be useful to
limit the proliferation of keratinoblasts in skin diseases like psoriasis, dermatitis, skin
iperplasia and basaliomas, where a functional modification of keratinocyte behavior
plays a major pathogenetic role.

So sulfurs might the a thing to look into as well?

Another problem with the ozone therapy is that, at least from my search today, it's not possible to have it done in France, except with colonic irrigation which, BTW, Atreides had done once, with no effects (but it was way before he changed his diet).

Lastly, I would be suspicious of the oils as well. If our theory about this being linked to a scar of evolution is right, it could be that the skin of people with HS is TOO oily, actually, like water-proof. Oil of any kind is bad for this, IMO. But of course, this ozonated oil might be totally different, I don't know.

Still, those testimonials ARE encouraging, so it might be worth it having a deeper look into this. But I think they had more to do with dealing with an infection than an actual permanent cure. And so far, the only thing I can think of that would be permanent is surgery with the removal of the glands and the multiple follicles. FWIW.

 

[Chu]

More on liposuction of the apocrine glands:

From Adipose Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

The apocrine glands may be involved with a variety of problems such as excessive sweating that can become foul/smelling or infected. Liposuction may be the only minimal incision solution to the problem.

[It is sued successfully on patients with Bromhidrosis, Hyperhidrosis, Osmidrosis and Fox-Fordice disease.]

There has been no reports concerning the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa with liposuction. HS is a chronic suppurative and cicatricial disease of the apocrine gland/bearing areas, chiefly the axial, usually in young women, and anogenital region, usually in men. The disorder is caused by poral occlusion with secondary bacterial infection of apocrine sweat glands. It is characterized by the development of tender red abscesses that enlarge and eventually break through the skin resulting in purulent and seropurulent drainage. Healing occurs with fibrosis and recurrences lead to sinus tract formations and progressive scarring. This disorder would have to be treated by liposuction to remove the apocrine glands in its resting phase when there is no apparent infection. The earlier in the disease that treatment is instituted, the less likely infection will be stirred up.

 

[Gaby]

I think ozone therapy would certainly be worth a try if it would be available as a local therapy. With ozone therapy, typically several sessions are needed and it has helped to manage several conditions including autoimmune diseases. Also, I think that these papers are concentrating on a histological perspective which might miss the root of the cause at the wider picture. It might well be that this is an autoimmune disease which manifests on these glands, and they are just looking at the results at a local microscopic and molecular level.

Elaine Morgan says that the sebum problems are among the consequences of leaving a water environment -including acne, oily skin, cysts, black heads, etc- because we lost our fur in a water-based evolutionary environment. Sebum keeps the fur of mammals slick and waterproof. But with no hair and since we left the water, sebum is pretty useless and its problems are compounded by a waterless environment. But if the condition doesn't improve with water treatments, then perhaps there is something else involved in this disease. Could it be a mitochondrial dysfunction due to latent evil bug infection? This seems to be the case in a lot of chronic conditions. Would certain therapies help by killing bugs as ozone does? Just a thought.

It seems ozone therapy has helped people with autoimmune conditions and other chronic diseases not just because it kills bug, but other mechanisms as well. Some have reported increased amounts of energy and good mood.

 

[The rabbit]

Thanks for the latest information regarding H S .

My doctor today was a woman , not the usual doctor.She actually listened to what I had to say and she found the information regarding removal of the sweat glands very interesting.She dissapeared from the office and called the specialist that I am to see in November.

When she came back she told me that there is a sweat clinic near Copenhagen I should ring to discuss possibilities.

Refused me IV drip once more , said only if I had a fever etc.

So another prescription of tetracilin for the next month. I bought some probiotics today also and the Doctor thought i could start retaking my zinc.

Thats it for now.

 

[Chu]

Elaine Morgan says that the sebum problems are among the consequences of leaving a water environment -including acne, oily skin, cysts, black heads, etc- because we lost our fur in a water-based evolutionary environment. Sebum keeps the fur of mammals slick and waterproof. But with no hair and since we left the water, sebum is pretty useless and its problems are compounded by a waterless environment. But if the condition doesn't improve with water treatments, then perhaps there is something else involved in this disease. Could it be a mitochondrial dysfunction due to latent evil bug infection? This seems to be the case in a lot of chronic conditions. Would certain therapies help by killing bugs as ozone does? Just a thought.

Well, we are trying the mitochondrial angle with the diet, but it might take time.

As to the sebum, I think the problem with HS goes beyond that:

Then, there is this: Hidradenitis suppurativa: a disease of the absent sebaceous gland? Sebaceous gland number and volume are significantly reduced in uninvolved hair follicles from patients with hidradenitis suppurativa
. It's not downloadable for free, unfortunately.

Below, a few quotes concerning sulphur and hyperkeratinization:

Pocket Atlas of Dermatology


Acne conglobata differs from acne vulgaris in that abscesses and fistulas with severe scarring appear. It occurs more frequently in men between the ages of 18 and 30 years. The scalp, axillae, anogenital region, and buttocks may be involved. The condition may be identical to apocrine acne, hidradenitis suppurativa, or dermatitis perieanalisis fistulosa.

Therapy: topical; benzoyl peroxide, tretinoin, erythromycin, salicylic acid, sulphur, or acelaic acid.
Systemic: tetracyclines, e.g., minocycline, erythromycin, antiandrogens and isotretinoin (teratogenic).

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Acne-Treatments.aspx

Sulphur

Sulphur is probably the oldest acne remedy known to medicine and its origins as an anti-acne treatment date to ancient Greek, Roman, and Chinese texts citing its efficacy in balneotherapy. Sulphur formulations are effective both as a micro-exfoliant and as a mild antiseptic. Sulphur is hydrophilic and can easily penetrate sebaceous pores where its antiseptic properties can assist local immune response in rapidly eliminating infection resulting from acne proliferation. Because the growth of acne bacteria is limited naturally by the skin's slightly acidic pH, alkaline cleansers (including soaps and detergents) can have a detrimental effect on controlling acne proliferation. Sulphur-based cleansers with a balancing or neutral pH can help eliminate acne and prevent future breakouts by maintaining the hydrolipidic layer's acidity and thereby controlling acne populations on the surface of the skin. Sulphur is abundant in keratin and its use is also helpful in promoting collagen synthesis. An active ingredient in prescription and over-the-counter lotions, creams, gels, washes, and shampoos, sulphur is also very effective in controlling seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, pityriasis versicolor, scabies, and lice.

Form a forum on acne:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/topic/42413-weakest-link-of-acne/
I'm, not sure if sulphur would help internally with keratinization. It may lessen the production of keratin. Many things do that. I just know that it regulates skin exfoliation when used topically.

There is a product, Sulfa Derm(Do you americans spell it as sulfur or sulphur?). Anyways it's 20.00 and it is 98% or so pure volcanic sulphur and the rest is zinc oxide(The thing in baby rash ointments that some people really like and is a sunblock). It's a cream or moisturizer of some sort but on boards like essentialspa(Sp?) and others for excema and psoriosis(SP again?), it has worked wonders.

A paper on HS:

Physical or Adjuvant Treatment

Early studies stressed the usefulnesss of wet warm compresses, unspecified ointments and sulfur. As an indicatin of the clinical difficulties or treating HS, it may be noted that some of these treatments are still used today. The avoidance of mechanical stress on the surface of the skin, i.e. shear forces, is also commonly recommended, although no experimental evidence exists to support the advice. It has been speculated that the abnormally thick skin and dystrophic hair follicles are more susceptible to mechanical stresses, but no experiment ha yet been designed to test this hypothesis.

Well, there is hardly anything on sulphur used specifically for HS, but I think we could look into other skin diseases that share similar characteristics, like this hyperkeratinization.

We're going to try DMSO topically again. Some people have reported having benefits with it, and potassium diodide. I read here that some people used onion juice as well (also high in sulphur) to reduce the size of the boils.There are many home remedies suggested on that site, including the ones we know about (turmeric, DMSO...). the blogger in particular suggests combining Magnesium Chloride with DMSO, but I'm not sure about it. She/he seems to think that HS is due to a virus, and her ideas sound a bit off to me.

 

[Laura]

Everything taken together simply points to hyperkeratinosis as the causative factor. That goes back to Elaine Morgen's "Aquatic Ape" thing.

 

[Gaby]

So maybe that is why DMSO has proven helpful, DMSO is the classical sulfur compound. Its derivative, MSM is also rich in sulfur, and the advantage is that it doesn't have the stingy and burning effects of DMSO. Although DMSO has proven more helpful for a wider range of conditions.

 

[Gaby]

I just came across this paper:

Tetracyclines: nonantibiotic properties and their clinical implications.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16443056?dopt=Abstract

It is a review of useful applications of non-antibiotic doses of doxycycline. Hidradenitis Suppurativa is mentioned once there in the context that it has been useful as topical applications and future research must be done for low dose doxycycline therapy.

Due to the way low dose doxycycline works, I think it is promising. The antibiotic doxycyline, at low doses of 20mg twice per day, is an anti-inflammatory. It doesn’t have an antibiotic therapeutic effect at those doses. It is used to inhibit the degradation of matrix metalloproteinase proteins which means it helps preserve joint or cartilage tissue. It is used for rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune conditions where the degradation of tissue is of concern. Low dose of doxycycline has been approved by the FDA for periodontitis treatment based on research indicating reductions in collagen, matrix/tissue degradation and decreased inflammation in gingival tissue.

Low dose doxycycline has proved to be very useful in acne and rosacea and other inflammatory conditions of the skin. It also has proved useful in bullous dermatoses, neutrophilic diseases, pyoderma gangrenosum, sarcoidosis, aortic aneurysms, cancer metastasis, periodontitis, cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart attack), and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma. All hard core skin problems plus autoimmune and chronic diseases.

The healing effects has to do with its anti-inflammatory properties and its modulation of the immune system. It is available under prescription or it can be purchased at fludan.com

It must be used at least for 4 months in order to see positive effects.

 

[EmeraldHope]

I just came across this paper:

Tetracyclines: nonantibiotic properties and their clinical implications.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16443056?dopt=Abstract

It is a review of useful applications of non-antibiotic doses of doxycycline. Hidradenitis Suppurativa is mentioned once there in the context that it has been useful as topical applications and future research must be done for low dose doxycycline therapy.

Due to the way low dose doxycycline works, I think it is promising. The antibiotic doxycyline, at low doses of 20mg twice per day, is an anti-inflammatory. It doesn’t have an antibiotic therapeutic effect at those doses. It is used to inhibit the degradation of matrix metalloproteinase proteins which means it helps preserve joint or cartilage tissue. It is used for rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune conditions where the degradation of tissue is of concern. Low dose of doxycycline has been approved by the FDA for periodontitis treatment based on research indicating reductions in collagen, matrix/tissue degradation and decreased inflammation in gingival tissue.

Low dose doxycycline has proved to be very useful in acne and rosacea and other inflammatory conditions of the skin. It also has proved useful in bullous dermatoses, neutrophilic diseases, pyoderma gangrenosum, sarcoidosis, aortic aneurysms, cancer metastasis, periodontitis, cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart attack), and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma. All hard core skin problems plus autoimmune and chronic diseases.

The healing effects has to do with its anti-inflammatory properties and its modulation of the immune system. It is available under prescription or it can be purchased at fludan.com

It must be used at least for 4 months in order to see positive effects.

Psyche,


Am I understanding correctly that doxycycline is a tetracycline? If it is, then that would mean that I cannot use it as I am alergic to tetracycline, correct?




Edit- nevermind- I looked it up. Doxycycline is a class of tetracycline so that would mean no, I cannot use it. I thought so but was not sure.

 

[The rabbit]

I just came across this paper:

Tetracyclines: nonantibiotic properties and their clinical implications.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16443056?dopt=Abstract


Low dose doxycycline has proved to be very useful in acne and rosacea and other inflammatory conditions of the skin. It also has proved useful in bullous dermatoses, neutrophilic diseases, pyoderma gangrenosum, sarcoidosis, aortic aneurysms, cancer metastasis, periodontitis, cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart attack), and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma. All hard core skin problems plus autoimmune and chronic diseases.

The healing effects has to do with its anti-inflammatory properties and its modulation of the immune system. It is available under prescription or it can be purchased at fludan.com

It must be used at least for 4 months in order to see positive effects.

Thanks for this Psyche. I am presently on tetracyclin and it has reduced inflammation a fair bit and pain levels are down , when these run out i am to take another course for a further two weeks.

I found them a hell of a lot cheaper on this site -http://requestpills.com/order-doxycycline-online-en.html?a=46765 for any one who may be looking into buying them.

 

[RedFox]

Everything taken together simply points to hyperkeratinosis as the causative factor. That goes back to Elaine Morgen's "Aquatic Ape" thing.

I'd like to add a tentative suggestion then for some possible relief, topical bromelain. Apparently it digests keratines - although this seems to be a claim by cosmetic producers selling exfoliants, so it's hard to verify.

Some anecdotal evidence from a keratosis pilaris support forum.

_http://www.keratosispilaris.org/general-discussion/6078-bromelain-papain-2.html

Actually quite a bit of research shows Bromelain has good tissue bioavailablity both orally and topically. It's one of the hardiest enzyme-complexes and survives the stomach acid quite well. As a proteolytic enzyme it's pretty selective about the proteins it chooses to break. They tend to be the police in the proteolytic world leaving healthy tissue alone while breaking either damaged, dead, nonfunctional proteins or bad proteins that indescriminatly break healthy proteins. That's why it makes a good meat tenderizer - the proteins in dead tissue are in pretty bad shape in short order (deprived of oxygen and life giving fluids) and bromelain makes quick work of it.

It's also why it works against KP ... you'll end up with an epidermis full of unhealthy protein, and similarly bromelain can help break those bad proteins into smaller harmless molecules that are easily absorbed by the body. I have put full strength bromelain directly on my skin and left it there for some time without any adverse (or tenderizing) effect.

This is one of the reasons it's being investigated for cancer therapy: it only seems to effect bad proteins. It's also why it can be consummed in very large doses with no permanent side effects (diarrhea and very seldomly, headaches). It's pretty darn safe.

Other topical uses are for burns and injuries ... a common ingredient in burn lotions ... Firefighters who use it recover much faster, and from personal experience I can vouch for how immediately it soothes bee stings and makes them disappear (breaks down the proteins in bee venom so they can be rendered ineffective and absorbed).

It's also thougth to aid new skin generation. Collagen breaks down into useless (unspringy) collagenase and elastenase that's crosslinked into the skin so it can't be removed. This is especially the case for older people - crosslinked collagenase and eastenase. Bromelain breaks these crosslinks mking collagenase and elastenase free to diffuse away back into the dermis to be removed in the bloodstream. The released collagenase and elastenase activate receptors in the dermis that tell the skin to produce more collagen (peptide-based "dewrinkle treatments" also simulate this process in order to trick the skin into creating new collagen).

Bromelain also improves absorption of nutrients like quercetin and antibiotics perhaps because it holds other enzymes at bay keeping the nutrients or antibiotics bioavailable for tissue where needed. The ability to keep things at bay may be how it works as an anti-clotting agent making blood cells less "sticky".

Saying bromelain just cut proteins is kind of like saying vitamin C is just an acid. It's actually a pretty amazing substance.

I'll see if I can find some more data to back this up, but would caution about using this in case of skin irritation.