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How a unique oral supplement can help us fight the aging process by offering protection from harmful free-radical damage and UV rays. Read on to find out more about it.
Every day while I perform skin exams, I take a few minutes to learn more about what my patients are consuming in their diets. I’m curious about not only what they eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but also if they are taking an oral supplement. After all, we have all heard the old adage, you are what you eat.
It turns out that our choices in food and supplements can make or break the health of our skin. Free radicals are molecules in our bodies that are unstable and can trigger negative chain reactions that lead to cell death. This increases and accelerates skin aging in a process known as oxidation. The process of oxidation is similar to our cars being exposed to external elements and triggering rust on the surface of them. Is there anything we can add to our diets to prevent this?
Keep your skin safe
There are external triggers that can increase all of our exposure to free radical damage. These free radicals include alcohol, tobacco, various chemicals and UV radiation from tanning beds or sun exposure.
Did you know that having a diet rich in antioxidants can help us to fight off these free radicals in our system? A diet rich in antioxidants means eating the colors of the rainbow in vegetables and fruits. A quick rule of thumb: the darker and richer in color the more antioxidants it contains. I will be frequently overheard telling my patients to eat the ‘blues, reds and purples’!
Beyond our diet, we do have access to some key supplements that can help in the fight against free radicals. One of myfavorite key supplements comes from nature in the form of a fern from South America. Polypodium leucotomos is a potent antioxidant that has been carefully extracted and is found in the supplement brand, Heliocare. Taken once to twice a day in the morning, and it can help to fend off damage created by UV exposure during the day by neutralizing free radicals that can lead to premature aging.
Its antioxidant profile has a number of compounds that include some big hitters in the antioxidant world. This includes ferulic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid. These work together to keep your skin healthy from the daily aggressors it comes into contact with.
Sun protection
Some of my patients will frequently ask if they still need to wear sun protection in the form of sunblock when eating a healthy diet and taking a supplement like Heliocare and the answer is definitely yes! Now, however, you get the benefits of added free-radical protection to keep your skin healthier for longer.
Interested in trying the Heliocare range? Click here to find out where to purchase yours.
Want to schedule a skin exam or find out more about how this oral supplement can protect your skin? Call (978) 862-6147 or click here to find an APDerm location near you.