Pomegranate power

Over my way the Summer is finally creeping in, the temperatures are rising along with the hemlines and the sun is doing what it does best – shine its white hot hear out. Those of us with my than a cursory interest in the health of their skin will have never stopped slapping on sunscreen, but sadly we are in the minority. New Zealand has one of the highest melanoma death rates in the world, with over 300 New Zealanders are dying from skin cancer every year. The vast majority of skin cancers are preventable - it has been estimated that over 90 per cent of melanomas in Australasia are attributable to sunlight exposure. And most sun damage occurs from incidental exposure during day-to-day activities, not at the beach.

Apart from slapping on the best sunscreen we can find we can also now pop a sun damage-fighting pill, thanks to the sheer genius of skincare legend Dr. Howard Murad and the hidden power of the humble pomegranate, which is actually one of the most powerful age-proofing antioxidants. It works by boosting the levels of glutathione, a natural antioxidant in the body that helps protect from free radical damage. Because ultraviolet exposure is such a powerful aging accelerator, sun protection is a crucial wrinkle-fighter. According to the good doctor, in addition to its healing benefits, pomegranate extract - taken internally - has the unique ability to improve the SPF power of sunscreen. Enter his ingenious Pomphenol Sunguard dietary supplement, which is about as easy to use as a beauty product gets and is available from October. I’m putting it on my shopping list now – all of the fabulous slap in the world can’t cover sun-ruined skin.