A recent study on lycopene conducted by the Department of Dermatology at the Charite-University of Medicine in Berlin, Germany, which focused on lycopene concentration in the furrowed and wrinkled foreheads of 20 subjects between 40 and 50 years old, demonstrated that high levels of antioxidants in the skin may be correlated to lower levels of skin roughness.

Since the body does not produce its own lycopene, a diet rich in lycopene will help assure a high level in the skin. Lycopene, a potent antioxidant, is found in the greatest quantities in tomato. While health experts promote the value of eating a tomato-rich Mediterranean diet, dietary supplementation with a lycopene-rich tomato extract is a convenient and effective means to ensure that the diet is supplying ample tomato lycopene for healthy, beautiful skin.

“The researchers stated that ‘lycopene can be assumed to represent an efficient protection system against the negative action of the free radicals in the skin,’ and this is highly encouraging because it provides additional support for Lyc-O-Mato tomato lycopene as a skin protecting and beautifying ingredient for the fast growing nutricosmetics market,” said Zohar Nir, vice president of new product development and scientific affairs, for LycoRed, Ltd., manufacturers of Lyc-O-Mato. “Skin smoothness is highly valued from an aesthetic perspective, but it is also an indicator of healthy skin. Increasing dietary levels of lycopene through daily supplementation with tomato lycopene is an easy way to insure the continued presence of high skin levels of these protectant antioxidants and to help protect the skin from photo-damage and environmental pollutants, and to preserve the skin’s smoothness.” For further information: www.lycored.com