BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet (UV) rays cause depletion of the antioxidant substances contained in the epidermis. This is the rationale for the use of topical antioxidant substances. METHODS: We studied the protective activity against UV radiation of a product based on lycopene and a product containing a mixture of vitamins E and C. Photostimulation was applied with a solar simulator and the cutaneous response was evaluated instrumentally. RESULTS: The lycopene-based product had a much greater protective ability than the product containing the mixture of vitamins. CONCLUSIONS: Lycopene has suitable characteristics to be used successfully in the prevention of cutaneous damage by free radicals. Its antioxidant ability is probably due to its high reductive power.
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Andreassi et al. (2003) studied this question.
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