Balneotherapy in dermatology

With 267 citations, the most-cited paper in the dermatological balneotherapy literature. Published in Dermatologic Therapy, Matz and Orion’s review established the clinical evidence base for balneotherapy in skin conditions and remains the default reference for claims about peat and mud therapy in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

Scope

The review covers balneotherapy across dermatology: psoriasis (the most studied skin condition in balneotherapy), atopic dermatitis/eczema, and other inflammatory skin conditions. It draws on clinical evidence from spa therapy centers — primarily Dead Sea therapy (saline baths with high mineral content), Central European peat baths, and thermal mineral water treatments. The range of water and peloid types covered makes it a broad survey rather than a peat-specific review, but peat baths are included and evaluated alongside other balneological approaches.

What It Found

Clinical evidence supported balneotherapy for both psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. For psoriasis, the evidence was strongest: multiple studies from Dead Sea therapy and European peat baths documented significant PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score reductions. For atopic dermatitis, the evidence was more varied but generally positive, with improvements in itch, skin condition, and quality of life reported across studies.

Why It’s Still Referenced Two Decades On

Matz 2003 was the first English-language review to systematically examine the dermatological evidence base for balneotherapy as a whole. Subsequent reviews (Jazani 2022, Protano 2024) have updated and refined its conclusions with newer trials, but Matz 2003 established the framework. Papers that need to place dermatological balneotherapy in historical context still cite it because it represents the consensus as it stood when the modern evidence base was being assembled.