High concentration of lycopene in the human skin reduces the manifestation of premature skin ageing

Taking into consideration the free radical theory of ageing it can be expected that antioxidant substances presented in the human skin can slow down the manifestation of premature skin ageing. This assumption was confirmed by the utilization of the modern non-invasive techniques used frequently in dermatology for visualization of skin surface structure and for the measurement of carotenoid antioxidant substances in human skin. A strong inverse linear correlation was obtained between the concentration of powerful cutaneous antioxidant lycopene and skin surface structure. The results revealed that individuals, exhibiting a high concentration of cutaneous antioxidants, had significantly lower values of skin roughness and, thus, appear younger. Methods of increasing the level of antioxidants in the human skin are discussed.