Natural Skin Care Using Tomatoes
High in Antioxidants and Lycopene, Tomatoes are a Versatile Fruit

© Robert Morris McCall
Apr 26, 2007

Health and nutritional benefits of the tender tomato. How to incorporate more of this red fruit into your daily skin care routine.
Tomatoes are an amazing fruit.

For a chef, they're an integral ingredient in many dishes, offering versatility, colour, flavour and nutrition, with high levels of both vitamins C and A.

Tomato sauce is a stock standard ingredient in many homes. Kids can't get enough of the stuff.

A study by the Harvard School of Public Health reported on the website Lycopene.org uncovered that tomatoes may reduce the likelihood of a range of different cancers, diabetes, and even heart disease. All of this due to the presence of the caretanoid, lycopene. Another study by the Centre for Food at Virginia Tech reveals that there may be a link between lycopene and the reduced risk of prostate cancer. Additional fruits and vegetables that are a good source of lycopene include papaya, watermelon, grapefruit, guava and rosehip.

Lycopene is high in antioxidants and fat soluble, with a small molecule structure that is easily absorbed by the skin. There is a drawback however. Lycopene is not dietary soluble (the molecule structure is tightly bound) unless cooked, so tomato pastes and sauces are a much better dietary source of lycopene.

Skin care products containing lycopene maybe difficult to find, and expensive. Like most skin care products, the cost over the course of a year can be incredibly high and the results mixed.

However, there is a do-it-yourself solution.


Most of the nutrients in any fruit or vegetable are found in the skin, and that's where you'll find a higher concentration of lycopene in a tomato. So the rest is easy.

You'll require 10 to 12 tomatoes.

Select organic tomatoes if possible as they are found to have a higher concentration of lycopene.

Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to the boil. Dip the tomatoes into the water for a minute or so. Peel the tomatoes and separate the skins and flesh.

Wash your face of all dirt and grime. Tilt your head back, and have a friend or partner apply the tomato skins, flesh side down. Wait 30 to 40 minutes, remove the skins, wash your face and bingo. The results are immediately noticeable. You may also find your skin is slightly tanned looking, which is a result of the caretanoid pigment in the tomatoes, being absorbed into your skin. Remember, however, that tomato juice can sting your eyes, so keep your eyes covered with a cloth or closed for the duration.

With the pulp: pop it into a wizzer, add some ice cubes, and 2 tbsp of caster sugar. Puree and drink. Delicious! Alternatively, use the skinless tomatoes to make a relish, a puree, or de-seed and finely chop, as in a concasse