Keep Skin Beautiful with a Few Shaves of This
Be it to summer drinks, crisp salads, or sandwich spreads, adding a few shaves of this could be good news for your skin: lemon zest.
A compound in lemon peels appears to help ward off a common skin cancer -- squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) -- by up to 34 percent. And it's all thanks to a citrus compound called d-Limonene.
Look to Lemons
D-Limonene seems to help keep skin cancer cells from growing and multiplying. And you can find plenty of the stuff in citrus peels; d-Limonene makes up more than 90 percent of citrus-peel oil. In a study of people who lived in sunny Arizona, those who consumed the most citrus zest had the lowest rates of SCC. And the more lemon, orange, and grapefruit zest the people consumed, the more they were protected from SCC. (Watch this video on preparing citrus fruits.)
A Common Cancer
Skin cancer is the most common cancer; more than 2 million people in the United States are diagnosed with it each year. SCC is a type of nonmelanoma skin cancer. It's highly treatable if it's diagnosed and treated early. Find out how to scan your body for cancers and protect it from the sun with these tips:
- Know your moles, and use this body checklist to scan for signs of cancer.
- Get to know the five most common risk factors for skin cancer.
- Follow the YOU Docs' tips for using sunscreen the right way.
Does your face look older or younger than you are? Take the RealAge Skin Test to find out!
Skin cancer chemoprevention: strategies to save our skin. Einspahr, J. G. et al., Recent Results in Cancer Research 2003;163:151-164; discussion 264-266.
Citrus peel use is associated with reduced risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. Hakim, I. A. et al., Nutrition and Cancer 2000;37(2):161-168.
Joint effects of citrus peel use and black tea intake on the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. Hakim, I. A., Harris, R. B., BMC Dermatology 2001;1:3.
