April 29, 2025 • 24 mins
Could we take our sunscreen in pill form? In this chat with Dr. Noreen Galaria, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Inner Glow Vitamins, we dive into how antioxidants protect skin from sun damage.
Dr. Galaria highlights polypodium, a fern used by indigenous communities for centuries as internal sun protection. Its compounds prevent sunburn, slow photoaging, and support tumor suppression. Polypodium starts working within an hour and lasts 4-6 hours, providing extra protection alongside sunscreen.
Her company combines polypodium with other antioxidants like green tea and cacao to protect skin from immediate and long-term sun damage. With rising global temperatures, these natural compounds are key to enhancing sun safety.
Tune in to learn how polypodium can boost your sun protection routine!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
doesn't only have to be sun damage, right, like it
could be damage from pollutionor smoking, or just age and time
.
They would actually take thosefern leaves and brew them as a
tea and drink them, you know, toget internal sun protection.
And when it comes to cancer, itseems to actually help with
tumor suppression.
And so you know, scientifically, these antioxidants actually
(00:24):
are reversing the damage thatthe sun is causing.
But then it's got otherantioxidants that we know are
really good for skin repair,things like green tea,
blueberries, cacao extract.
It's got some probiotics in it.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome to Dermot Trotter.
Don't swear about skin care.
Don't Swear About Skin Carewhere host Dr Shannon C Trotter,
a board-certified dermatologist, sits down with fellow
dermatologists and skincareexperts to separate fact from
fiction and simplify skincare.
Let's get started.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Welcome to the Dermot Trotter.
Don't Swear About Skin Care.
I have Dr Noreen Galleria.
She's a board-certifieddermatologist with a laser and
cosmetic fellowship and has beenpracticing for over 20 years.
After spending time in anacademic setting, she was
training residents and doingresearch in that area and also
publishing.
She then transitioned intoprivate practice 13 years ago in
(01:19):
the DC area.
She's also the CEO and founderof Interglow Vitamins and it's
an actual dermatologist as wellas plastic surgeon developed
brand of nutraceuticals.
So welcome to the podcast,noreen.
It's great to have you here.
Thank you so much for having me.
Of course, we're going to touchon something I think people have
been wanting this conceptsunscreens.
(01:41):
We talk about how do we protectourself from the sun.
I think everyone just thinks,oh, sunscreen right, or oh, I'm
going to wear longer sleeves orI'm going to put on a hat or my
sunglasses.
But kind of what we want totalk about today, this concept
can we really develop, you know,sunscreen or sun protection in
a pill?
And specifically, you know, aswe get into that a little bit
more, we want to talk about theconcept of antioxidants, because
(02:05):
I know people out there knowabout this.
They've said, oh, take yourantioxidants in a pill form or
take a handful of blueberries inthe morning.
But I want to get a little bitmore into detail about what that
can mean for our audience outthere and some protection.
So I'm going to have you kickit off with just what are
antioxidants and can you explainkind of what they are and how
they're helpful for us in theskin.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Yeah, sure.
So antioxidants are basicallythese ingredients that can help
us to either slow down damage inour skin or even maybe reverse
damage, and the damage doesn'tonly have to be sun damage,
right, like it could be damagefrom pollution or smoking or
just age and time.
And I think a lot of people atleast a lot of my patients when
(02:47):
I talk about antioxidants, it'skind of this nebulous thing and
maybe it sounds like chemicals,and so I really want to take a
second to really talk about whatantioxidants are, and I guess
you know where they come from,because really, what an
antioxidant is is something thatusually comes from a fruit or a
vegetable, so it's generally aplant product.
(03:10):
And what's amazing is, if youimagine like a plant that's
growing outside and it's growinglike in the sun and it's got
little pests that are, you know,trying to eat it, a plant
really has to, you know,literally bloom where it's
planted, and so over eons,plants have kind of figured out
how to make these defensemechanisms against things like
(03:33):
sun and pests and, you know,maybe poor soil, and those
defense mechanisms that a plantuses to protect itself in nature
are actually antioxidants, andthose antioxidants are the very
thing in plants that we thenharness to give ourselves
benefit.
And so I guess I really want tostart by saying that you know
(03:56):
the majority of antioxidantscome from plant, or you know
fruit and vegetable sources, andthey are things that have been
developed through time for aplant to really take care of
itself.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
So it's pretty cool.
We can really capture.
You know what nature is doingto help ourselves.
You know, when you talk aboutantioxidants them being, you
know, plant derived andprotecting, you know the plant
how it, you know, uses them inthat way.
What exactly is an antioxidantdoing, then?
For maybe, like in the skin,with our skin cells, that we
would maybe want to take it andhave it be helpful for us as
(04:29):
well?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
So, you know, if we take a look, for example, at the
antioxidant polypodium, whichis one of the ones we're going
to talk about, again, I thinkthe scientific name sometimes,
you know, make people feel likeit's a chemical, polypodium is
actually a fern, and it's a fernthat grows near the equator, in
(04:51):
Central and even South America,and what we realized from
looking at tribes who used tolive near the equator is that
they would actually take thosefern leaves and brew them as a
tea and drink them, you know, toget internal sun protection,
and it's been happening forhundreds of years.
And so, probably in the 1970s,dermatologists and other
(05:15):
researchers started looking atpolypodium and saying, okay,
well, clearly these people aregetting some benefit from
drinking these fern leaves.
What is it actually that thisfern does?
And what they realized was, youknow, in general, the sun does
three things that we are reallytrying to prevent from happening
.
The first is, of course, itcauses sunburn.
(05:36):
The second is, you know, itcauses a lot of our photoaging,
the aging that comes from thesun.
And the third big thing is, ofcourse, it causes skin cancer.
And what researchers realizedwas that polypodium, the fern,
has ingredients in it thatactually prevent all three of
these things that the sun can do.
And you know, I guess reallywhat we're looking at is, if
(06:00):
you're looking at sunburn, it'sgot these antioxidants that are
called phenols and the phenolswill basically stop the damage,
the free radical damage thatcauses the redness in the skin.
And when we're looking at aging, the fern will actually help to
prevent the breakdown ofcollagen.
I mean, all of us are alwaystrying to protect our collagen
(06:22):
and, you know, polypodium hasbeen shown to not only protect
your collagen but also yourelastin, which is kind of what
gives our skin its bounce, um,and when it comes to cancer, it
seems to actually, um, help withtumor suppression.
And so you know, uh,scientifically, these
antioxidants actually arereversing the damage that the
(06:42):
sun is causing.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
That's kind of fascinating again that we're
really looking at a plant that'salready sort of figured it out
and now we can use it, you know,in our own way to help our skin
.
So you know people that want touse it or take it.
Is it something that theytypically would take in a pill
form?
You mentioned like brewing itlike a tea?
Is there one way that if peoplewere interested in adding this
into their routine that youwould actually recommend, or you
(07:07):
think there's evidence for thatmight work the best to see the
benefits that we would want?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, you know, I think, the way that it was
harvested in nature to be brewedas a tea, that's something that
most of us, unless we're livingin Central America, just don't
have access to.
And so and you know it'suncertain what dose you're
really getting right?
So, probably since I would saythe early 1980s, people have
(07:34):
figured out how to take thepolypodium, and you have to be
careful if you're going to takepolypodium, because it's really
the leaves that have all theprotection.
So if you take polypodium andyou're taking the stem or the
root, well, you're not going toget the same protection, because
obviously it's the leaves thatreally, at the equator, need to
protect themselves from the sunthat's beating down.
And so you're looking for asource that you know uses the
(07:58):
leaf of the polypodium fern, andyou're looking for a dose
around 280 milligrams, which isa pretty readily available dose.
There don't seem to be any sideeffects to it, but I will say
the benefits are seen around 280.
So don't take a thousandmilligrams and don't take 2000.
Like, you know everything is outthere, right, and, and you know
(08:20):
, when it comes to the body,more is not always really better
, like you can actually repeatthis.
So we have a lot of studies inkids where you know, after two
or three hours they can take ourgummies, which are like
polypodium gummies.
They can take them, you know.
The same way they reapplysunscreen like they can kind of
top off, and that I think worksvery well, but a huge dose at
one time is not as effective.
(08:41):
As you know works very well,but a huge dose at one time is
not as effective.
As you know, small dosessimilar to if you think about
the concept of using sunscreenand reapplying it through the
day, you can't just put onenough sunscreen at 8am to last
you all day and polypodium isactually a bit similar to that.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
You've probably disappointed some people because
I think everyone looks easyfixer.
I just take it and be good allday, because that I mean, that
is a complaint, obviously withusing sunscreen.
Can I just take it and be goodall day?
Because that I mean that is acomplaint, obviously with using
sunscreen.
It's just the burden, right,the time it takes.
Oh gosh, I got to reapply, andso same concept.
It's interesting to see thatwould apply for something like
the polypodium.
So the people are like sittingthere like okay, this sounds
(09:17):
interesting.
We've you know.
Maybe you know a supplementmight be right for me.
I think the question a lot ofpeople might be asking and I
think it's helpful not toobviously go too deep into this
information.
But you know, compared to maybeother supplements, I think a
lot of people out there think,oh, supplements, like you know,
they're regulated differently.
But do we really have data tosuggest that this is useful and
(09:38):
is there really merit to it?
And I think that's what'sunique about polypodium.
Maybe it's just what we haveavailable.
Do you mind just commenting onthat a little bit to kind of
help alleviate some of theconcerns?
People might think there justisn't any justification
scientifically.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Absolutely yeah.
So you know, the nice thingabout polypodium is that, unlike
a supplement like I don't know,even like vitamin D, let's say
that you have to take for awhile or you have to do a blood
test to see, am I at the rightlevel there are a lot of studies
that show that polypodium workswithin an hour, and so you
(10:12):
don't actually have to wait along time.
And I will have a lot of mypatients say to me you know, my
little ones always burn, or Irock climb and I golf, and I
never reapply, and when I takethis supplement I find I can be
in the sun comfortably a lotlonger.
And you know our own studies oninner glow when we look at the
(10:33):
gummy.
We have done a lot of studies,you know, through independent
labs and other doctors, thatshow like, for example, if you
sunburn the inside of somebody'sarm and then you give them two
gummies, which is the full dose,you wait one hour and sunburn
their other arm, there is anoticeable difference in how
much they sunburn.
And so you know we have studiesthat have been, you know,
(10:54):
presented at our you know theacademy meetings, which is our
dermatology meeting, and they'vebeen published in a lot of our
dermatology journals meeting andthey've been published in a lot
of our dermatology journals andthey do show fairly immediate
effect.
And so I think, if you knowsomebody is wondering if it
works, I will say there aredozens and dozens of studies on
polypodium.
(11:15):
Even personally, I know we'vedone a lot of studies on our
polypodium.
But people can also almostnotice the difference themselves
.
You know which is nice.
Like unlike other vitamins, youwill likely see a difference.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I think that's.
You know.
The proof is in the puddingright on some of that, and it's
nice too.
I mean.
You know we often all buythings out there, right?
We're probably not even surewhat the studies are.
You know, for those that youknow, we have listeners out
there that you know they liveand breathe dermatology or
they're in medicine.
They're like you know, is thissomething I could actually look
up and see how it's beenvalidated or proven to work?
I think that's what's alsowonderful about this as an
(11:51):
opportunity, you know, for apatient to use it.
Now would you, you know, if youhave somebody come in they're
like, okay, I've kind offollowed you along.
I think there's value here.
You know I want to do this.
Is it something that you thinkis appropriate for just about
anyone to take, or is theresomebody you wouldn't recommend
that would be beneficial for?
Speaker 1 (12:09):
no-transcript.
Um, so you know, I guess, froma safety perspective, we do have
safety studies we're working onnow that show, um, that anyone
over the age of two can take it.
So, um, moms love this fortheir kids, you know they apply
sunscreen once, and even withtheir mom being a dermatologist
(12:39):
they'll take two gummies,because it's like eating candy
almost, you know but they willnot reapply their sunscreen.
So you know, from a safetyperspective it seems like not
just with our gummies, butthere's a lot of studies out
there for children with eczema,because polypodium actually
seems to help with eczema, andlarge studies of hundreds of
patients that show that it seemsto be safe in doses double R's
in children over the age of two,and she seems to show some
(13:02):
improvement in barrier repairfor kids who you know are taking
this.
But you know, as far as apatient coming in, I kind of
describe this to patients as anadditional tool in your toolbox,
in your sun protection toolbox.
So the nice thing aboutpolypodium is you don't have to
take it daily.
So I'm not telling my patients,hey, take this vitamin from now
(13:25):
until you know, whatever theend of your life to protect you
from the sun.
It can just be like a MemorialDay to summer, you know, labor
Day type of vitamin, or it canbe I'm going to the beach for a
week, I'm going to do it then,and the rest of the time maybe
sunscreen alone is enough or,you know, a sun shirt or
sunglasses.
So I really describe it as anadditional tool.
(13:46):
So I know my patients, forexample, don't wear a sun
protection shirt every day, ormaybe a hat every day, but they
pull it out when they knowthey're going to be in the sun.
So for a lot of patients, theycan pull out this supplement in
a very similar manner when youknow you're going to be in the
sun, you take it an hour beforegoing outside.
And then there's some patients,you know, maybe skin cancer
(14:06):
patients or patients who areespecially fair, who just find
they want to take it, you know,on a more prolonged basis.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
You mentioned too before, like how eventually it's
sort of you know wears off orwears down.
Just like you know sunscreen,how often do you have to retake
it throughout the day.
Is there a recommendation thatyou typically make, based on how
long we think it may work tohelp protect the skin?
Speaker 1 (14:27):
So, you know, it seems like our studies and other
studies show somewhere betweenfour to six hours, and it's not
like an on-off switch, right.
So it's like the protectionstarts to wane.
And so I tell my patientslisten, when you think about
starting to reapply sunscreen,that's a great time to maybe pop
an additional gummy.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Okay, that's kind of good because it can get you on
that same rhythm of doing allthis non-protection at once.
And I think I really want tohighlight what you mentioned.
This isn't a replacement,because you know a lot of people
are like, hey, I want somethingthat's going to basically, you
know, replace sunscreen for me.
And I try to explain to peopleand you probably do this too.
You know we're not really thereyet.
Like you highlight, this isjust an additional tool to
(15:08):
provide that protection, soyou're more completely protected
if you will, but it's notsomething that we're saying, hey
, do this in place of sunscreen.
This is a nice add intoeverything else that you're
doing to protect yourself.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Yeah, I wish you know , but definitely not.
Would it be nice Like sunscreenand a pill?
Yes, yes, you know the concept.
I know people use the terminternal sunscreen, but you know
it's different because one wehave no SPF measurement really
for these internal sunscreens orinternal protection because it
(15:41):
protects you.
But you know the nice thing.
I guess the one additionalbenefit is it does actually
repair, which sunscreen doesn'treally do right.
So when you take in polypodiumyou get this repair mechanism,
but you definitely do not getthe same amount of SPF that you
would get from applyingsomething on the outside.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
So we talked about it , you know, being helpful kind
of you know where people canprotect themselves and maybe
stay out a little bit longer,where it gives that sort of
durability, maybe to the skinyou mentioned also, kind of from
the anti-aging benefit.
Does that come from really, theantioxidant power that you feel
behind?
You know that's behindpolypodium.
Is that where we think thatrests as well?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Yeah, there's.
You know, there's something inour skin called a matrix
metalloproteinase, right, andwhat it does is it seems to
block this, and that's one ofthe things that really breaks
down our collagen and elastin,and so I think that there's
several specific antioxidants.
The beauty of polyponium isit's not just one antioxidant,
it's actually multipleantioxidants.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
And so each antioxidant is kind of targeting
a different part of our sundamage.
And so with the multi-myosinantioxidants or with the phenols
, so is there one that tends tobe more important or more
valuable?
Is it really collectively howwe think they may work together?
Is that kind of the thoughtbehind it?
Speaker 1 (16:58):
I think it's kind of collective.
You know, I think if you, youknow, took out some of these
antioxidants that are, you know,readily found in other fruits,
like, for example, blueberriesor green tea, which are amazing
antioxidants, I think it's thefact that it has multiple ones
of these all together mixed inthat make it a little more
potent for sun protection.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
So one of the things I wanted to talk with you more
about.
You know we keep talking aboutpolypodium, but what really
makes it so special, you know,is it sort of this cocktail
antioxidants or what's actuallylike.
What makes up polypodium?
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Yeah, so polypodium, actually, as a fern, is a little
antioxidant powerhouse actually.
So if we look at some of theantioxidants that are in it, you
know kind of the top three thatcome to mind.
There's something calledflavonoids that polypodium has,
and those are antioxidants thatwe usually find in things we
know are helpful, like berriesand dark chocolate.
(17:53):
So you know, yeah, the goodstuff, and so you know it's got
a similar type of antioxidant tothat, but then it's also got
something called a polyphenol,which is the type of antioxidant
you might find in green tea oryou might find in grapes and red
wine.
And then it's also gotsomething called glycosides in
it, which is what we find inthings like soybeans and you
(18:16):
know the skin of apples andpears.
And so I think really thebenefit of polypodium comes from
the fact that this one fernpacks such an antioxidant punch,
which is why it can reallyaffect so many steps of the sun
damage in our skin.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Yeah, it's impressive to think, like how mother
nature, you know, helps itself,you know, when you just think
about this plant and kind of itsevolution and trying to survive
on land and deal with sunexposure, and it's kind of what
we're all trying to do, right,Live our lives, be active in our
sports, or if we love to go outon a walk, you know.
Or we work outdoors, you know,just thinking how we kind of,
(18:54):
you know, deal with the sun inour own way.
It's nice that we can really,you know, capture what nature's
doing to help us too.
And and kind of with polypodium, is there other antioxidants
besides that one that you wouldrecommend that would be helpful
for some protection as well?
Or just, you know, repair ofskin that's been damaged by the
sun.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Yeah.
So I think as far as immediatesun protection like protection
like we're talking about whenyou're outside I think
polypodium is great.
In our gummy we combine it witha little bit of niacinamide,
which is a B vitamin, which isalso known to do a lot of
cellular repair.
(19:32):
But you know, we did a lot ofresearch on what antioxidants
really benefit the skin and oneof the you know we have what we
call our defense line and inthat the second vitamin is
something called age defense,which we describe more as if the
gummy is more protection fromacute sun damage.
The age defense is really acuteand chronic, and so it's still
got polypodium because we feellike that's a big player.
(19:54):
But then it's got otherantioxidants that we know are
really good for skin repair,things like green tea,
blueberries, cacao extract.
It's got some probiotics in it,some resveratrol.
It's got ginger, turmeric, sothe antioxidants that we know
help to repair sun damage.
We've kind of combined, youknow, the 14 most potent ones
(20:15):
and put them into the AgeDefense tablet.
And you know, the one thing Iwill say is you know people ask
and this is a question thatcomes up a lot well, my grandma
never had sunscreen and mygreat-grandma never used
polypodium, and why do we needit now?
And I will say that what'sinteresting is, you know, the
(20:35):
skin cancer unfortunately, weknow is on the rise, even though
our ozone is repairing itself alittle bit, and one of the
things that is happening is that, year after year, we seem to be
having the hottest year onrecord, and so, since 2020,
every year has been hotter thanthe last, and 2025 is projected
(20:55):
to be the hottest year ever onthe planet.
And so I think, when people getfrustrated and think about why
is it that I get sunburned soeasily and my great grandma
didn't, or she didn't needsunscreen, I will also just say
it's not your fault.
You know the sun is differentand the heat is different now,
and so we do need more tools inour toolbox than we used to have
(21:17):
.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Well, we've kind of alluded to this a little bit.
We've talked a little bit about, you know, your company and
some of the supplements you havewith Inner Glow.
Do you mind talking a littlebit about what makes some of
your supplements so special anda little bit more about the
company, just in general?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Sure, thank you.
So we're a company that isreally developed and researched
by myself, a dermatologist and aplastic surgeon, and the reason
that we really created this wasbecause we, at the time when
this kind of was an idea in ourminds, we were practicing at the
University of Utah and a lot ofpeople don't know, but Utah
(21:54):
actually has the highest rate ofskin cancer in America.
Know, but Utah actually has thehighest rate of skin cancer in
America, and so we were seeing alot of patients come in and
they were looking for justsomething additional that they
could do, because they weregetting frustrated and I was
looking for things that would be, I'm going to say, developed
the same way we develop ourmedicines.
Right, like in the supplementindustry, there's no FDA
(22:15):
regulation of supplements.
They can be made anywhere.
You don't really have to vetwhat's put in them, and so we
really set out to makesupplements that would be made
in an FDA registered facility.
You know they're not regulated,but at least we can make them
in places where they you knowcould make medications, for
example.
We want something that'sthird-party verified.
I source everything by hand.
(22:36):
Every ingredient has researchand scientific backing, and then
, once we combine them into oursupplements.
We actually do do clinicalstudies on them to prove that
they work, and currently wedon't have a huge line.
We have three things that Ithink really work well.
We have our hair supplement,which has all 21 ingredients
that I think you know we needfor good hair growth, and then
(22:57):
we have this defense line, whichis the gummy for sun protection
, and then, if you wantprotection and repair, the age
defense vitamin.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Well, it's just exciting, you know, I I hate to
say that we look to mothernature for these answers, but
it's amazing that she oftenprovides them on multiple fronts
.
Right, we see that across thespectrum in healthcare.
And now, I think, for ourlisteners out there, they'll
think you know sun protection,you know no different in the
value of polypodium and what itcan give.
You know patients that are outthere, so we can just, you know,
(23:26):
live smarter in the sun.
You know, I think that'sobviously our goal for everyone.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Yes, no, I always say enjoy, enjoy your time outdoors
, right?
Just do it with a little bit ofprotection on board.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I think people are sometimes shocked to hear
dermatologists, you know, saythat, but I always tease my
patients, you know.
We we have conferences andmeetings in the craziest,
sunniest places.
We're not against the sun, Isaid.
We're just against, you know,being out in the sun where you
know you might get too much ofit or not protect yourself.
It's just like anything else,just doing things in moderation,
doing it smarter, you know.
So we're just here to help giveyou the tools and I think
(23:56):
you've definitely given peoplesome ideas and tools now to add
to that toolbox to really helpthem have effective sun
protection and really enjoy life.
So for our listeners out there,if they want to find you,
noreen, where can they locateyou online or get more
information about Interglow?
Speaker 1 (24:10):
So our website is interglowvitaminscom, and then
our handles are all easy,whether it's Instagram or
Facebook.
It's all at Interglovitamins.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Perfect.
Well, thank you again forcoming on the podcast.
This has been great.
I think a lot of people aregoing to be researching this and
tempted to protect themselvesin ways they'd never imagined,
even if we don't have thesunscreen pill yet.
So thank you for coming on andsharing your expertise.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
I appreciate it too, and staytuned for the next episode of
Dermot Trotter.
Don't swear about skincare.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Thanks for listening to Dermot Trotter.
For more about skincare, visitDermotTrottercom.
Don't forget to subscribe,leave a review and share this
podcast with anyone who needs alittle skincare sanity.
Until next time, stay skinsmart.
doesn't only have to be sun damage, right, like it
could be damage from pollutionor smoking, or just age and time
.
They would actually take thosefern leaves and brew them as a
tea and drink them, you know, toget internal sun protection.
And when it comes to cancer, itseems to actually help with
tumor suppression.
And so you know, scientifically, these antioxidants actually
(00:24):
are reversing the damage thatthe sun is causing.
But then it's got otherantioxidants that we know are
really good for skin repair,things like green tea,
blueberries, cacao extract.
It's got some probiotics in it.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome to Dermot Trotter.
Don't swear about skin care.
Don't Swear About Skin Carewhere host Dr Shannon C Trotter,
a board-certified dermatologist, sits down with fellow
dermatologists and skincareexperts to separate fact from
fiction and simplify skincare.
Let's get started.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Welcome to the Dermot Trotter.
Don't Swear About Skin Care.
I have Dr Noreen Galleria.
She's a board-certifieddermatologist with a laser and
cosmetic fellowship and has beenpracticing for over 20 years.
After spending time in anacademic setting, she was
training residents and doingresearch in that area and also
publishing.
She then transitioned intoprivate practice 13 years ago in
(01:19):
the DC area.
She's also the CEO and founderof Interglow Vitamins and it's
an actual dermatologist as wellas plastic surgeon developed
brand of nutraceuticals.
So welcome to the podcast,noreen.
It's great to have you here.
Thank you so much for having me.
Of course, we're going to touchon something I think people have
been wanting this conceptsunscreens.
(01:41):
We talk about how do we protectourself from the sun.
I think everyone just thinks,oh, sunscreen right, or oh, I'm
going to wear longer sleeves orI'm going to put on a hat or my
sunglasses.
But kind of what we want totalk about today, this concept
can we really develop, you know,sunscreen or sun protection in
a pill?
And specifically, you know, aswe get into that a little bit
more, we want to talk about theconcept of antioxidants, because
(02:05):
I know people out there knowabout this.
They've said, oh, take yourantioxidants in a pill form or
take a handful of blueberries inthe morning.
But I want to get a little bitmore into detail about what that
can mean for our audience outthere and some protection.
So I'm going to have you kickit off with just what are
antioxidants and can you explainkind of what they are and how
they're helpful for us in theskin.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Yeah, sure.
So antioxidants are basicallythese ingredients that can help
us to either slow down damage inour skin or even maybe reverse
damage, and the damage doesn'tonly have to be sun damage,
right, like it could be damagefrom pollution or smoking or
just age and time.
And I think a lot of people atleast a lot of my patients when
(02:47):
I talk about antioxidants, it'skind of this nebulous thing and
maybe it sounds like chemicals,and so I really want to take a
second to really talk about whatantioxidants are, and I guess
you know where they come from,because really, what an
antioxidant is is something thatusually comes from a fruit or a
vegetable, so it's generally aplant product.
(03:10):
And what's amazing is, if youimagine like a plant that's
growing outside and it's growinglike in the sun and it's got
little pests that are, you know,trying to eat it, a plant
really has to, you know,literally bloom where it's
planted, and so over eons,plants have kind of figured out
how to make these defensemechanisms against things like
(03:33):
sun and pests and, you know,maybe poor soil, and those
defense mechanisms that a plantuses to protect itself in nature
are actually antioxidants, andthose antioxidants are the very
thing in plants that we thenharness to give ourselves
benefit.
And so I guess I really want tostart by saying that you know
(03:56):
the majority of antioxidantscome from plant, or you know
fruit and vegetable sources, andthey are things that have been
developed through time for aplant to really take care of
itself.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
So it's pretty cool.
We can really capture.
You know what nature is doingto help ourselves.
You know, when you talk aboutantioxidants them being, you
know, plant derived andprotecting, you know the plant
how it, you know, uses them inthat way.
What exactly is an antioxidantdoing, then?
For maybe, like in the skin,with our skin cells, that we
would maybe want to take it andhave it be helpful for us as
(04:29):
well?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
So, you know, if we take a look, for example, at the
antioxidant polypodium, whichis one of the ones we're going
to talk about, again, I thinkthe scientific name sometimes,
you know, make people feel likeit's a chemical, polypodium is
actually a fern, and it's a fernthat grows near the equator, in
(04:51):
Central and even South America,and what we realized from
looking at tribes who used tolive near the equator is that
they would actually take thosefern leaves and brew them as a
tea and drink them, you know, toget internal sun protection,
and it's been happening forhundreds of years.
And so, probably in the 1970s,dermatologists and other
(05:15):
researchers started looking atpolypodium and saying, okay,
well, clearly these people aregetting some benefit from
drinking these fern leaves.
What is it actually that thisfern does?
And what they realized was, youknow, in general, the sun does
three things that we are reallytrying to prevent from happening
.
The first is, of course, itcauses sunburn.
(05:36):
The second is, you know, itcauses a lot of our photoaging,
the aging that comes from thesun.
And the third big thing is, ofcourse, it causes skin cancer.
And what researchers realizedwas that polypodium, the fern,
has ingredients in it thatactually prevent all three of
these things that the sun can do.
And you know, I guess reallywhat we're looking at is, if
(06:00):
you're looking at sunburn, it'sgot these antioxidants that are
called phenols and the phenolswill basically stop the damage,
the free radical damage thatcauses the redness in the skin.
And when we're looking at aging, the fern will actually help to
prevent the breakdown ofcollagen.
I mean, all of us are alwaystrying to protect our collagen
(06:22):
and, you know, polypodium hasbeen shown to not only protect
your collagen but also yourelastin, which is kind of what
gives our skin its bounce, um,and when it comes to cancer, it
seems to actually, um, help withtumor suppression.
And so you know, uh,scientifically, these
antioxidants actually arereversing the damage that the
(06:42):
sun is causing.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
That's kind of fascinating again that we're
really looking at a plant that'salready sort of figured it out
and now we can use it, you know,in our own way to help our skin
.
So you know people that want touse it or take it.
Is it something that theytypically would take in a pill
form?
You mentioned like brewing itlike a tea?
Is there one way that if peoplewere interested in adding this
into their routine that youwould actually recommend, or you
(07:07):
think there's evidence for thatmight work the best to see the
benefits that we would want?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, you know, I think, the way that it was
harvested in nature to be brewedas a tea, that's something that
most of us, unless we're livingin Central America, just don't
have access to.
And so and you know it'suncertain what dose you're
really getting right?
So, probably since I would saythe early 1980s, people have
(07:34):
figured out how to take thepolypodium, and you have to be
careful if you're going to takepolypodium, because it's really
the leaves that have all theprotection.
So if you take polypodium andyou're taking the stem or the
root, well, you're not going toget the same protection, because
obviously it's the leaves thatreally, at the equator, need to
protect themselves from the sunthat's beating down.
And so you're looking for asource that you know uses the
(07:58):
leaf of the polypodium fern, andyou're looking for a dose
around 280 milligrams, which isa pretty readily available dose.
There don't seem to be any sideeffects to it, but I will say
the benefits are seen around 280.
So don't take a thousandmilligrams and don't take 2000.
Like, you know everything is outthere, right, and, and you know
(08:20):
, when it comes to the body,more is not always really better
, like you can actually repeatthis.
So we have a lot of studies inkids where you know, after two
or three hours they can take ourgummies, which are like
polypodium gummies.
They can take them, you know.
The same way they reapplysunscreen like they can kind of
top off, and that I think worksvery well, but a huge dose at
one time is not as effective.
(08:41):
As you know works very well,but a huge dose at one time is
not as effective.
As you know, small dosessimilar to if you think about
the concept of using sunscreenand reapplying it through the
day, you can't just put onenough sunscreen at 8am to last
you all day and polypodium isactually a bit similar to that.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
You've probably disappointed some people because
I think everyone looks easyfixer.
I just take it and be good allday, because that I mean, that
is a complaint, obviously withusing sunscreen.
Can I just take it and be goodall day?
Because that I mean that is acomplaint, obviously with using
sunscreen.
It's just the burden, right,the time it takes.
Oh gosh, I got to reapply, andso same concept.
It's interesting to see thatwould apply for something like
the polypodium.
So the people are like sittingthere like okay, this sounds
(09:17):
interesting.
We've you know.
Maybe you know a supplementmight be right for me.
I think the question a lot ofpeople might be asking and I
think it's helpful not toobviously go too deep into this
information.
But you know, compared to maybeother supplements, I think a
lot of people out there think,oh, supplements, like you know,
they're regulated differently.
But do we really have data tosuggest that this is useful and
(09:38):
is there really merit to it?
And I think that's what'sunique about polypodium.
Maybe it's just what we haveavailable.
Do you mind just commenting onthat a little bit to kind of
help alleviate some of theconcerns?
People might think there justisn't any justification
scientifically.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Absolutely yeah.
So you know, the nice thingabout polypodium is that, unlike
a supplement like I don't know,even like vitamin D, let's say
that you have to take for awhile or you have to do a blood
test to see, am I at the rightlevel there are a lot of studies
that show that polypodium workswithin an hour, and so you
(10:12):
don't actually have to wait along time.
And I will have a lot of mypatients say to me you know, my
little ones always burn, or Irock climb and I golf, and I
never reapply, and when I takethis supplement I find I can be
in the sun comfortably a lotlonger.
And you know our own studies oninner glow when we look at the
(10:33):
gummy.
We have done a lot of studies,you know, through independent
labs and other doctors, thatshow like, for example, if you
sunburn the inside of somebody'sarm and then you give them two
gummies, which is the full dose,you wait one hour and sunburn
their other arm, there is anoticeable difference in how
much they sunburn.
And so you know we have studiesthat have been, you know,
(10:54):
presented at our you know theacademy meetings, which is our
dermatology meeting, and they'vebeen published in a lot of our
dermatology journals meeting andthey've been published in a lot
of our dermatology journals andthey do show fairly immediate
effect.
And so I think, if you knowsomebody is wondering if it
works, I will say there aredozens and dozens of studies on
polypodium.
(11:15):
Even personally, I know we'vedone a lot of studies on our
polypodium.
But people can also almostnotice the difference themselves
.
You know which is nice.
Like unlike other vitamins, youwill likely see a difference.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I think that's.
You know.
The proof is in the puddingright on some of that, and it's
nice too.
I mean.
You know we often all buythings out there, right?
We're probably not even surewhat the studies are.
You know, for those that youknow, we have listeners out
there that you know they liveand breathe dermatology or
they're in medicine.
They're like you know, is thissomething I could actually look
up and see how it's beenvalidated or proven to work?
I think that's what's alsowonderful about this as an
(11:51):
opportunity, you know, for apatient to use it.
Now would you, you know, if youhave somebody come in they're
like, okay, I've kind offollowed you along.
I think there's value here.
You know I want to do this.
Is it something that you thinkis appropriate for just about
anyone to take, or is theresomebody you wouldn't recommend
that would be beneficial for?
Speaker 1 (12:09):
no-transcript.
Um, so you know, I guess, froma safety perspective, we do have
safety studies we're working onnow that show, um, that anyone
over the age of two can take it.
So, um, moms love this fortheir kids, you know they apply
sunscreen once, and even withtheir mom being a dermatologist
(12:39):
they'll take two gummies,because it's like eating candy
almost, you know but they willnot reapply their sunscreen.
So you know, from a safetyperspective it seems like not
just with our gummies, butthere's a lot of studies out
there for children with eczema,because polypodium actually
seems to help with eczema, andlarge studies of hundreds of
patients that show that it seemsto be safe in doses double R's
in children over the age of two,and she seems to show some
(13:02):
improvement in barrier repairfor kids who you know are taking
this.
But you know, as far as apatient coming in, I kind of
describe this to patients as anadditional tool in your toolbox,
in your sun protection toolbox.
So the nice thing aboutpolypodium is you don't have to
take it daily.
So I'm not telling my patients,hey, take this vitamin from now
(13:25):
until you know, whatever theend of your life to protect you
from the sun.
It can just be like a MemorialDay to summer, you know, labor
Day type of vitamin, or it canbe I'm going to the beach for a
week, I'm going to do it then,and the rest of the time maybe
sunscreen alone is enough or,you know, a sun shirt or
sunglasses.
So I really describe it as anadditional tool.
(13:46):
So I know my patients, forexample, don't wear a sun
protection shirt every day, ormaybe a hat every day, but they
pull it out when they knowthey're going to be in the sun.
So for a lot of patients, theycan pull out this supplement in
a very similar manner when youknow you're going to be in the
sun, you take it an hour beforegoing outside.
And then there's some patients,you know, maybe skin cancer
(14:06):
patients or patients who areespecially fair, who just find
they want to take it, you know,on a more prolonged basis.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
You mentioned too before, like how eventually it's
sort of you know wears off orwears down.
Just like you know sunscreen,how often do you have to retake
it throughout the day.
Is there a recommendation thatyou typically make, based on how
long we think it may work tohelp protect the skin?
Speaker 1 (14:27):
So, you know, it seems like our studies and other
studies show somewhere betweenfour to six hours, and it's not
like an on-off switch, right.
So it's like the protectionstarts to wane.
And so I tell my patientslisten, when you think about
starting to reapply sunscreen,that's a great time to maybe pop
an additional gummy.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Okay, that's kind of good because it can get you on
that same rhythm of doing allthis non-protection at once.
And I think I really want tohighlight what you mentioned.
This isn't a replacement,because you know a lot of people
are like, hey, I want somethingthat's going to basically, you
know, replace sunscreen for me.
And I try to explain to peopleand you probably do this too.
You know we're not really thereyet.
Like you highlight, this isjust an additional tool to
(15:08):
provide that protection, soyou're more completely protected
if you will, but it's notsomething that we're saying, hey
, do this in place of sunscreen.
This is a nice add intoeverything else that you're
doing to protect yourself.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Yeah, I wish you know , but definitely not.
Would it be nice Like sunscreenand a pill?
Yes, yes, you know the concept.
I know people use the terminternal sunscreen, but you know
it's different because one wehave no SPF measurement really
for these internal sunscreens orinternal protection because it
(15:41):
protects you.
But you know the nice thing.
I guess the one additionalbenefit is it does actually
repair, which sunscreen doesn'treally do right.
So when you take in polypodiumyou get this repair mechanism,
but you definitely do not getthe same amount of SPF that you
would get from applyingsomething on the outside.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
So we talked about it , you know, being helpful kind
of you know where people canprotect themselves and maybe
stay out a little bit longer,where it gives that sort of
durability, maybe to the skinyou mentioned also, kind of from
the anti-aging benefit.
Does that come from really, theantioxidant power that you feel
behind?
You know that's behindpolypodium.
Is that where we think thatrests as well?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Yeah, there's.
You know, there's something inour skin called a matrix
metalloproteinase, right, andwhat it does is it seems to
block this, and that's one ofthe things that really breaks
down our collagen and elastin,and so I think that there's
several specific antioxidants.
The beauty of polyponium isit's not just one antioxidant,
it's actually multipleantioxidants.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
And so each antioxidant is kind of targeting
a different part of our sundamage.
And so with the multi-myosinantioxidants or with the phenols
, so is there one that tends tobe more important or more
valuable?
Is it really collectively howwe think they may work together?
Is that kind of the thoughtbehind it?
Speaker 1 (16:58):
I think it's kind of collective.
You know, I think if you, youknow, took out some of these
antioxidants that are, you know,readily found in other fruits,
like, for example, blueberriesor green tea, which are amazing
antioxidants, I think it's thefact that it has multiple ones
of these all together mixed inthat make it a little more
potent for sun protection.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
So one of the things I wanted to talk with you more
about.
You know we keep talking aboutpolypodium, but what really
makes it so special, you know,is it sort of this cocktail
antioxidants or what's actuallylike.
What makes up polypodium?
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Yeah, so polypodium, actually, as a fern, is a little
antioxidant powerhouse actually.
So if we look at some of theantioxidants that are in it, you
know kind of the top three thatcome to mind.
There's something calledflavonoids that polypodium has,
and those are antioxidants thatwe usually find in things we
know are helpful, like berriesand dark chocolate.
(17:53):
So you know, yeah, the goodstuff, and so you know it's got
a similar type of antioxidant tothat, but then it's also got
something called a polyphenol,which is the type of antioxidant
you might find in green tea oryou might find in grapes and red
wine.
And then it's also gotsomething called glycosides in
it, which is what we find inthings like soybeans and you
(18:16):
know the skin of apples andpears.
And so I think really thebenefit of polypodium comes from
the fact that this one fernpacks such an antioxidant punch,
which is why it can reallyaffect so many steps of the sun
damage in our skin.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Yeah, it's impressive to think, like how mother
nature, you know, helps itself,you know, when you just think
about this plant and kind of itsevolution and trying to survive
on land and deal with sunexposure, and it's kind of what
we're all trying to do, right,Live our lives, be active in our
sports, or if we love to go outon a walk, you know.
Or we work outdoors, you know,just thinking how we kind of,
(18:54):
you know, deal with the sun inour own way.
It's nice that we can really,you know, capture what nature's
doing to help us too.
And and kind of with polypodium, is there other antioxidants
besides that one that you wouldrecommend that would be helpful
for some protection as well?
Or just, you know, repair ofskin that's been damaged by the
sun.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Yeah.
So I think as far as immediatesun protection like protection
like we're talking about whenyou're outside I think
polypodium is great.
In our gummy we combine it witha little bit of niacinamide,
which is a B vitamin, which isalso known to do a lot of
cellular repair.
(19:32):
But you know, we did a lot ofresearch on what antioxidants
really benefit the skin and oneof the you know we have what we
call our defense line and inthat the second vitamin is
something called age defense,which we describe more as if the
gummy is more protection fromacute sun damage.
The age defense is really acuteand chronic, and so it's still
got polypodium because we feellike that's a big player.
(19:54):
But then it's got otherantioxidants that we know are
really good for skin repair,things like green tea,
blueberries, cacao extract.
It's got some probiotics in it,some resveratrol.
It's got ginger, turmeric, sothe antioxidants that we know
help to repair sun damage.
We've kind of combined, youknow, the 14 most potent ones
(20:15):
and put them into the AgeDefense tablet.
And you know, the one thing Iwill say is you know people ask
and this is a question thatcomes up a lot well, my grandma
never had sunscreen and mygreat-grandma never used
polypodium, and why do we needit now?
And I will say that what'sinteresting is, you know, the
(20:35):
skin cancer unfortunately, weknow is on the rise, even though
our ozone is repairing itself alittle bit, and one of the
things that is happening is that, year after year, we seem to be
having the hottest year onrecord, and so, since 2020,
every year has been hotter thanthe last, and 2025 is projected
(20:55):
to be the hottest year ever onthe planet.
And so I think, when people getfrustrated and think about why
is it that I get sunburned soeasily and my great grandma
didn't, or she didn't needsunscreen, I will also just say
it's not your fault.
You know the sun is differentand the heat is different now,
and so we do need more tools inour toolbox than we used to have
(21:17):
.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Well, we've kind of alluded to this a little bit.
We've talked a little bit about, you know, your company and
some of the supplements you havewith Inner Glow.
Do you mind talking a littlebit about what makes some of
your supplements so special anda little bit more about the
company, just in general?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Sure, thank you.
So we're a company that isreally developed and researched
by myself, a dermatologist and aplastic surgeon, and the reason
that we really created this wasbecause we, at the time when
this kind of was an idea in ourminds, we were practicing at the
University of Utah and a lot ofpeople don't know, but Utah
(21:54):
actually has the highest rate ofskin cancer in America.
Know, but Utah actually has thehighest rate of skin cancer in
America, and so we were seeing alot of patients come in and
they were looking for justsomething additional that they
could do, because they weregetting frustrated and I was
looking for things that would be, I'm going to say, developed
the same way we develop ourmedicines.
Right, like in the supplementindustry, there's no FDA
(22:15):
regulation of supplements.
They can be made anywhere.
You don't really have to vetwhat's put in them, and so we
really set out to makesupplements that would be made
in an FDA registered facility.
You know they're not regulated,but at least we can make them
in places where they you knowcould make medications, for
example.
We want something that'sthird-party verified.
I source everything by hand.
(22:36):
Every ingredient has researchand scientific backing, and then
, once we combine them into oursupplements.
We actually do do clinicalstudies on them to prove that
they work, and currently wedon't have a huge line.
We have three things that Ithink really work well.
We have our hair supplement,which has all 21 ingredients
that I think you know we needfor good hair growth, and then
(22:57):
we have this defense line, whichis the gummy for sun protection
, and then, if you wantprotection and repair, the age
defense vitamin.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Well, it's just exciting, you know, I I hate to
say that we look to mothernature for these answers, but
it's amazing that she oftenprovides them on multiple fronts
.
Right, we see that across thespectrum in healthcare.
And now, I think, for ourlisteners out there, they'll
think you know sun protection,you know no different in the
value of polypodium and what itcan give.
You know patients that are outthere, so we can just, you know,
(23:26):
live smarter in the sun.
You know, I think that'sobviously our goal for everyone.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Yes, no, I always say enjoy, enjoy your time outdoors
, right?
Just do it with a little bit ofprotection on board.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I think people are sometimes shocked to hear
dermatologists, you know, saythat, but I always tease my
patients, you know.
We we have conferences andmeetings in the craziest,
sunniest places.
We're not against the sun, Isaid.
We're just against, you know,being out in the sun where you
know you might get too much ofit or not protect yourself.
It's just like anything else,just doing things in moderation,
doing it smarter, you know.
So we're just here to help giveyou the tools and I think
(23:56):
you've definitely given peoplesome ideas and tools now to add
to that toolbox to really helpthem have effective sun
protection and really enjoy life.
So for our listeners out there,if they want to find you,
noreen, where can they locateyou online or get more
information about Interglow?
Speaker 1 (24:10):
So our website is interglowvitaminscom, and then
our handles are all easy,whether it's Instagram or
Facebook.
It's all at Interglovitamins.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Perfect.
Well, thank you again forcoming on the podcast.
This has been great.
I think a lot of people aregoing to be researching this and
tempted to protect themselvesin ways they'd never imagined,
even if we don't have thesunscreen pill yet.
So thank you for coming on andsharing your expertise.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
I appreciate it too, and staytuned for the next episode of
Dermot Trotter.
Don't swear about skincare.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Thanks for listening to Dermot Trotter.
For more about skincare, visitDermotTrottercom.
Don't forget to subscribe,leave a review and share this
podcast with anyone who needs alittle skincare sanity.
Until next time, stay skinsmart.
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