Extra Protection Against the Sun

The UV radiation in sunlight damages skin – a fact that surely everyone now knows! That’s why we should cover up and use high factor suncreams if we go out in the sun. These behavioural changes will minimise the damage better than anything else. But interesting new research has shown that we can achieve an extra level of protection actually ‘built in’ to our skin. The evidence is that certain ‘super’ nutrients, present in vegetables and fruits, can help the skin cope with exposure to sunlight.

UV radiation is known to harm the DNA in our cells, either directly or through the production of free radicals. That’s why covering up in direct sunshine is so important. However, the UV radiation also causes skin ageing through the creation of free radicals and by causing inflammation. This stimulates the enzymes in the dermis, called MMP’s, to speed up their degradation of collagen and elastin and, as described earlier, this leads to wrinkles.

If the body is well supplied with antioxidant nutrients then it is better armed to tackle the flood of free radicals that is created when we suffer sunburn, however slight the redness may appear. One class of plant antioxidants called anthocyanidins, which are blue and red pigments found in berries and fruits, have been shown to be more than just antioxidants. Research has shown that they can ‘damp down’ inflammation and also slow down the activity of the MMP enzymes.

This product provides a high potency dose of anthocyanidins and lutein at levels that previous scientific studies showed would provide some protection against sun damage. We set out to see if Colladeen® Visage could offer the same benefits!

We used the same tests as used to determine the SPF level for sun creams. The test measures the MED, (Minimal Erythemal Dose) and it was carried out on the same two groups of 60 adults. At the start of the two studies each person has UV light shone on small patches of skin for increasing lengths of time. The next day the patches are examined to determine the shortest exposure time that caused reddening for each person. As with the other tests measurements were taken at the start then at regular intervals and at the end. In both studies half the group took two tablets of Colladeen® Visage a day; the other half took identical looking dummy placebo pills.