ABC News Good Morning America Kate Snow interviewed Los Angeles dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu about a new herbal supplement being introduced on the American market this summer that is reported to protect the skin from sun damage that can lead to skin cancer.Heliocare, a tropical fern extract used in Europe for decades to treat the skin conditions of psoriasis and eczema, comes in pill form and is taken daily.
Dr. Wu warns you cannot skip the sunscreen when spending time in the sun because the herbal supplement will not prevent sunburn.
"It gets into your blood stream and works from the inside out, as opposed to sunscreen which works from the outside in," explained Dr. Wu. "So this pill mops up the damage that gets past the sunscreen you might be wearing. It also repairs damage that is done to your skin that leads to skin cancer."
Heliocare is not recommended for pregnant women, nursing mothers, or children. Heliocare is expensive -- a bottle of 60 pills costs $60 dollars. I don't know why, but I was surprised when I watched this news story on ABC News. If something as simple as a fern extract can reverse sun damage to skin and reduce the risk of skin cancer -- and has been on the European market for decades -- why haven't we heard about it here in the US before now? I am not promoting this product -- I am just telling you what I saw on the news. ABC News.
You can watch the video of the news interview here.










