Fruitful Findings in American Spa

"On a daily basis, most people don't apply sunscreen to their arms, shoulders, decollete, and legs or even their faces, but these exposed areas are susceptible to UV damage," says Szilvia Hickman, owner of Szep Elet, exclusive distributor of ilike Organic Skin Care.  "Numerous studies show that not only can lycopene and other caroteniods from tomoatoes increase the skin's own ability to fight oxidative stress, lycopene in particular can also absorb UV radiation when applied topically, enable repair of DNA damage, and reduce inflammation."

According to research published in the British Journal of Dermatology, consuming 55 grams of tomato paste daily for 12 weeks provides protection against acute and potentially longer-term damage to skin from sun exposure.  In a study published in the  Journal of Pharmacognosy  and Phytochemistry, tomoatoes were found to be beneficial for rapid skin-cell replacement, and tomoato juice can be used for healing sunburns.  Furthermore, a study conducted by the Department of Dermatology at the Moun Sinai School of Medicine, which examined topically applied lycopene's ability to protect the skin from harmful effects of UVB rays, found that it offered significant protection to the cellular DNA.  It also found that lycopene may reduce inflammation and prevent DNA damage following UVB injury.