Antioxidant Supplements Prove Beneficial to Skin Structure

WITTEN, Germany--A 12-week study done at the Institute of Experimental Dermatology in Witten, Germany, showed supplementation with carotenoids, vitamin E and selenium improved skin roughness and scaling.
Thirty-nine volunteers with healthy, normal skin were split into three treatment groups--placebo; a mixture of lycopene (6 mg/d), lutein (3 mg/d), beta-carotene (4.8 mg/d), alpha-tocopherol (10 mg/d) and selenium (75 mcg/d); or a mixture of lycopene (6 mg/d), beta-carotene (4.8 mg/d) alpha-tocopherol (10 mg/d) and selenium (75 mcg/d). Both groups receiving the antioxidants showed an increase in serum levels of selected carotenoids.
Using a Surface Evaluation of Living Skin (Visioscan), roughness, scaling, smoothness and wrinkling of the skin improved in both active groups while the placebo group showed no changes in any of the parameters. The study appeared in Skin Pharmacology Physiology (19, 4:224-31, 2006).