Summer is Here … Protect Your Skin from the Inside Out

Excessive sun exposure can lead to premature aging of the skin; which means more wrinkles and discolorations. Although topical sunscreens remain the top choice of consumers, there is a new oral method for protecting your skin … Polypodium leucotomos.

Much has been written about how the sun’s burning ultraviolet rays harm our health and appearance. Yet despite the warnings, more than two million people in the US will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year alone. Rates of melanoma — the most dangerous form of skin cancer — have not only doubled over the past 10-20 years, but continue to rise 3% to 7% annually.¹

A recent study found that a new oral supplement sourced from the fern, Polypodium leucotomos, could potentially become an important anti-aging ingredient for the skin.²  Extracts from the fern have been used in South America for many years to protect against the damaging effects caused by excessive sun exposure.

This amazing fern also protects skin cells from the consequences of excessive ultraviolet radiation by reducing sun-induced injury.3 Additionally, it helps ease skin inflammation and blocks protein-destroying skin enzymes.^3,4

Polypodium leucotomos extract also contains a high percentage of potent antioxidants (phenolics) which block the formation of dangerous free radicals and the oxidative damage that results from excessive sun exposure.⁵

Remember, for long periods of sun exposure, you should defend your skin against premature aging with an oral extract from Polypodium leucotomos and a topical sunscreen to ensure complete sun protection.

References

1. Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/470300_2. Accessed May 3, 2010.
2. Philips N, Conte J, Chen YJ, et al. Beneficial regulation of matrixmetalloproteinases and their inhibitors, fibrillar collagens and transforming growth factor-beta by Polypodium leucotomos, directly or in dermal fibroblasts, ultraviolet radiated fibroblasts, and melanoma cells. Arch Dermatol Res. 2009 Aug;301(7):487-95.
3. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2006 Mar 1;82(3):173-9.
4. J Dermatol Sci. 2003 Jun;32(1):1-9.
5. Ann Intern Med. 1971 Dec;75(6):873-80.