Oral Sunscreen Capsules (Polypodium Leucotomos Supplement).

"It's basically an extract called Polypodium leucotomos, which is a type of fern plant, and it has been proven in published studies that it helps protect skin from sun damage. It is not a sunscreen pill. You cannot use this and not use sunscreen. It works best when you use this with sunscreen. And I just take this every single day. And I'm very fair, I'm very easy to burn, and this stuff I trust, and I will not go a day without it, and especially if it's sunny out. If it's sunny out, I'm not missing this, and I'm certainly wearing a hat and long sleeves, no matter the temperature. But this stuff's great."

"Taking a polypodium leucotomos supplement, so polypodium leucotomos comes from a fern, it's a plant-based ingredient that offers antioxidant properties that help with UV protection. When you're taking this as a supplement in oral form you can take it as a pill, it also comes in gummy form, and it offers additional UV protection that extends beyond what your sunscreen or UPF clothing could offer. I've tried Heliocare in the past."

"This is a supplement that's been shown in clinical studies to reduce UV damage and sunburns. It's derived from a fern from South America called polypodium leucotomos. It is not a replacement for sunscreen, however when taken with sunscreen on top of some protective clothing, it's essentially an oral antioxidant supplement that can offer additional protection against damage. You can think of it as a practical way to reduce the risk of skin cancer, but also I use it in aesthetic dermatology in the sense that it helps to reduce melasma flares during the summer time, and certainly if you want less sun damage for anti-aging concerns this would be a great one. You can take it every day, but I find it to be for me most doable when I know I will often take one when I know I'm going to spend all day out, and this is additional protection for my skin. You essentially just take one to two as needed when you need to."

"The dietary supplement with strong research to suggest it may help in reducing the burden of UV damage is polypodium, and the brand name is Heliocare. If you're looking for something to use in conjunction with sunscreen—remember it's not a replacement for sunscreen—that may help in reducing the burden of UV damage after spending time outdoors, then that would be one to consider. But to what extent it will minimize visible signs of aging around the mouth and volume loss, there are no studies to back that up."

"What it does is it gives you a little bit more UV protection to your skin but it's more from the inside out, which is very interesting. It doesn't mean that you don't have to wear sunscreen, but if you're like me and you have melasma or if you're somebody who has something like lupus or autoimmune diseases that can really make your skin sensitive to the sun, this is a really interesting ingredient and product to add into your life as a supplement because you're just getting that added protection. It's like UV protection from the inside out and then you obviously have your sunscreen that you put on top of your skin and also any of the other products like hats and stuff that you're using to protect your skin. You're just getting one more form of defense for UV protection."