CLINICAL EVIDENCE AND BENEFITS OF OZONE THERAPY IN MEDICAL PRACTICE: A CRITICAL REVIEW FOCUSED ON TISSUE REPAIR, INFLAMMATORY MODULATION, AND AESTHETIC APPLICATIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/revgeov17n5-140Keywords:
Ozone Therapy, Wound Healing, Inflammatory Modulation, Medical Aesthetics, Tissue Repair, Clinical SafetyAbstract
The scientific literature has accumulated substantial evidence for the medical applications of ozone therapy, particularly in chronic wound healing, musculoskeletal pain management, and aesthetic and post-surgical approaches. The present study aims to conduct a critical and narrative review of the evidence on the efficacy and safety of ozone therapy in medicine, with an emphasis on tissue repair, inflammatory modulation, and aesthetic applications. The methodology consisted of a semantic search in PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Semantic Scholar, and OpenAlex databases, encompassing the analysis of 80 clinical studies with varied designs, including randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and observational studies published between 1998 and 2025. The results show that ozone therapy significantly accelerates healing, with up to a 66.54% reduction in the area of chronic ulcers, and reduces the relative risk of major amputations in diabetic foot by 54% (RR = 0.46). In the management of knee osteoarthritis, systematic reviews and randomized clinical trials demonstrate significant pain reductions and functional improvements comparable or superior to hyaluronic acid. In aesthetic applications, the treatment induces lipolysis and promotes reductions of up to 23.5% in abdominal fat when combined with other technologies. The mechanisms of action operate through activation of the Nrf2 pathway, modulation of NF-κB signaling, enhancement of tissue oxygenation, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The safety profile is highly favorable, with an adverse event rate of only 2.43% in large cohorts. It is concluded that ozone therapy constitutes a clinically relevant, effective, and safe complementary intervention, with future studies requiring greater methodological rigor for protocol standardization.
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