• Nutritional supplements like HELIOCARE Ultra D Capsules and diet become basic sources of this micronutrient essential for our health.
• A shortage of vitamin D is connected with an increased likelihood of developing diabetes, obesity, bone problems and some types of cancer.

The feeling of the sun on our skin is one of the things we are missing most these days. Sunshine raises our spirits, encourages us to be active…it makes us feel better. In fact, exposure to the sun -so long as it is controlled- has major health benefits: it controls blood pressure, regulates melatonin (the sleep hormone), cholesterol metabolism and more.

But there’s no doubt that one of the best-known benefits of sunshine for the body is that it provides vitamin D, vital to our health since, among other things, it helps ensure correct bone development (essential for warding off osteoporosis, for example).

“More recently its function in regulating the immune system, including modulating inflammation and preventing several cancers, has been reported,” says Dr Salvador González, a dermatology service consultant at Hospital Ramón y Cajal in Madrid and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York (USA).

But how can we keep up a good level of vitamin D now when we’re sheltering at home?

More than just sun

Exposing parts of the body that are usually uncovered (hands, ankles, neck, etc.) to the sun for just 10 minutes twice or three times a week has been found to cover our needs for vitamin D. But Dr González warns that exposure to the sun can be impacted by many factors, so alone it is not enough to maintain good levels of vitamin D in the body. We must also follow protection recommendations such as applying sunscreen, staying out of the sun in the hottest part of the day, etc.

“Therefore, both during self-isolation as well as before and after, it is advisable and indeed necessary to turn to other sources of vitamin D, such as nutritional supplements and diet,” the doctor says.

Daily use of a supplement like HELIOCARE Ultra D Capsules from Cantabria Labs, with its vitamin D, C and E-rich formula, can help offset the lack of vitamin D from the sun. Plus, with its high content of Fernblock®, the Polypodium leucotomos extract exclusive to Cantabria Labs, it boosts the skin resistance’s to damage from the sun, making it perfect for times like these since we continue to suffer from its action even at home.

With regards diet, good sources of vitamin D include milk and dairy products, eggs and oily fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, herrings, etc.).

Now more than ever

Dr González says it is important to include these foods in our daily diet, along with a nutritional supplement like HELIOCARE Ultra D Capsules to prevent against deficits.

“Recently published studies show that the vitamin D obtained orally is functionally identical to that produced as a result of exposure to the sun,” he says.

About HELIOCARE Ultra D Capsules

Photoprotective capsules with vitamin D. The comprehensive formula is high in Fernblock®, which boosts the skin’s resistance to the sun and neutralises and repairs sun damage from the very first time you take them. They also contain vitamins D, C and E, lutein and lycopene.

In combination with topical sunscreen provides high level of sun protection

The only way to combat these harmful effects is to tackle radiation by wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen every day. One in-vitro study showed the efficacy of Fernblock®, the exclusive extract of Polypodium leucotomos and base ingredient in HELIOCARE sunscreen capsules and creams from the Cantabria Labs laboratory, in preventing blue light-induced skin damage.

Fernblock® has been proven to prevent the damage caused by the light from these devices at different levels. It:

• Prevents the cell death of fibroblasts (cells essential to preventing skin aging).
• Prevents oxidative stress (which induces aging, among other damage to the skin).
• Prevents alterations in the morphology of mitochondria (the main source of cell energy).
• Significantly reduces melanin production (prevents dark skin spots caused by artificial light)

And what about visible light?
Screens are not the only enemy of our skin while we are at home. We also need to protect it when we settle down to work from home or read close to a window. Ultraviolet radiation type A (UVA) can cross it and the visible light that allows us to see, which comes not only from solar radiation but lamps, too. A recent clinical study determining the efficacy of Fernblock® capsules in protecting us from visible light is important. Specifically, it analysed the skin of seven volunteers [iv], comparing three samples: one without treatment; a second one exposed to a direct dose of visible and infrared radiation; and a third sample where the skin was exposed to radiation but after taking Fernblock® capsules for 21 days. The results showed that this technology of a natural origin can reduce the formation of matrix metalloproteinase MMP-1 (collagen-destroying enzymes) induced by visible and infrared light.
In conclusion, both HELIOCARE topical sunscreen and capsules from Cantabria Labs are a great help since they protect the skin from all the forms of solar radiation to which it can be exposed both inside the home and outside on decks.

About Fernblock®
Fernblock® is the base active ingredient of HELIOCARE. It is an exclusive standardised extract of Polypodium leucotomos, a tropical fern native to Central America that in its transition from aquatic to terrestrial life developed mechanisms of self-defence and repair against the sun. Thanks to an exclusive extraction method that ensures its efficacy, Fernblock® has been proven to have a powerful protective, antioxidant and repair action which works both topically and orally.
[i]Empantallados.com: Estudio sobre el impacto de las pantallas en la vida familiar (Study on the Impact of Screens on Family Life) (2019, Fomento de Centros de Enseñanza).

[ii]Gabinete de Estudios de Comunicación Audiovisual (GECA)

[iii] www.de-cix

[iv] This study was approved by the ethics committee of the Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain.

Best poster presented at the 35th SEME Congress 2020

• Its use accelerates cutaneous recovery after ablative fractional CO2 laser, as detailed in a study presented as a poster during the last Congress of the SEME (Sociedad Española de Medicina Estética -Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine) held in Malaga. (1)
• The efficacy of this cosmetic in skin regeneration has been found after non-ablative fractional laser. (2)
• The reason? Its high compatibility with the skin and its high concentration (40%) in SCA® Growth Factor Technology, Cryptomphalus aspersa secretion with high regenerating power.

Laser facial treatments are among the most demanded anti-aging procedures in dermatology and aesthetic medicine consultations (3). Despite being minimally invasive they do have a number of adverse side effects such as erythema, burning sensation or tightness, the severity of which depends on the type of treatment performed, being more severe in the case of ablatives than non-ablatives. For this reason, it is essential for patients to find suitable topical adjuvant therapy.

TRIPLE EFFICACY AFTER ABLATIVE FRACTIONAL LASER
The effectiveness of SCA® Growth Factor Technology, Cryptomphalus aspersa secretion – present in the ENDOCARE range – when used after a non-ablative fractional laser protocol, has been proven in previous studies. The new study shows that the application of a cosmetic regime based on SCA® Growth Factor Technology, such as ENDOCARE RADIANCE C Oil-free vials, with 40% concentration of this ingredient, improves skin tolerance and recovery after CO2 ablative fractional laser treatment.

During the study carried out in 10 patients, these vials were applied to half of each patient’s face immediately after the procedure and during the subsequent 21 days, while vials without SCA® Growth Factor Technology were applied to the other half of the face. The results show that the application of ENDOCARE RADIANCE C Oil-free Vials after CO2 ablative laser therapy:

Accelerates recovery of ablative laser-induced damage to the skin. In fact, the results are remarkable and significant just after one week. This result is tested by observing the evolution of the density of the microcolumns (generated by the laser), in the part of the face treated with SCA® Growth Factor Technology. In this case, the microcolumns decrease and close faster than on the side without the active ingredient. It is also significant that transepidermal water loss is reduced on the side treated with SCA® Growth Factor Technology, which favours recovery of the barrier function.

SCA treated side / SCA non-treated side

Significantly decreases adverse effects induced by the ablative laser. Improvement is observed in the degree of erythema, burning sensation and tightness.

Increases the tolerance and efficacy of laser treatment. ENDOCARE Radiance C Oil-free vials not only help in the preparation and recovery from the technique, but improves and optimises the results obtained: the roughness of the skin (anti-wrinkle efficacy) on the side treated with 40% SCA® Growth Factor Technology was significantly greater than on the side treated without SCA.

ON CRYPTOMPHALUS ASPERSA SECRETION (SCA® Growth Factor Technology)
In the mid-1990s, Cantabria Labs patented the process of obtaining this secretion, the effect of which results in repair and improvement of damaged and aged skin. Thus SCA® Growth Factor Technology was born, which regenerates damaged skin structures. This technology, which also promotes skin rejuvenation by reducing the number and depth of wrinkles and returning firmness and smoothness, is present in the ENDOCARE range. The concentration used in the study (40%) can be found at ENDOCARE Radiance C Oil-free vials.

1 Truchuelo MT, Vitale, M: Evaluation of effects of a cosmetic treatment based on the secretion of Cryptomphalus aspersa after the use of ablative fractional CO2 laser in cutaneous aging
2 Iglesias-de la Cruz MC, et al. A secretion of the mollusk Cryptomphalus aspersa promotes proliferation, migration and survival of keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts in vitro. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2012;34: 183-189
3 Sociedad Española de Medicina Estética – Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SEME), Penetration and Socioeconomic Impact Study of Aesthetic Medicine in Spain

Cantabria Labs, with the help of a team of radiotherapists from the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, turned to nature for a solution to cure radiation therapy burns (radiodermatitis), a condition so damaging to the skin that it often made it necessary to stop treatment, with all the consequences that interrupting cancer treatment can entail.
The company investigated various substances for use following radiotherapy until it came across SCA® growth factors, secretion of the Cryptomphalus aspersa snail, which promoted rapid regeneration of these patients’ skin.

New studies led to a better understanding of the potential of SCA growth factors and, after obtaining an international patent, its efficacy in treating severe radiodermatitis was confirmed when used to heal skin of victims of the Chernobyl (Ukraine) nuclear disaster in 1986. The results obtained from using SCA® to treat extremely burned skin were excellent – skin was quick to recover and discomfort rapidly disappeared.

Radiocare® was the first product to leverage this scientific revolution, and Endocare® the line that evolved to become a benchmark in the field of anti-aging dermal regeneration. New, equally groundbreaking technologies were added to SCA® growth factors, including IFC® CAF and EDAFENCE®. These technologies are supported by numerous medical and dermatological publications in leading international scientific journals, and by skin care professionals around the world. Endocare® is today a success in the over 80 markets where it is sold and a reference for professional recommendation in skin aging.

Today we celebrate 20 years of dermal innovation, 20 years of anti-aging endeavor, and 20 years at the service of professionals seeking solutions both for skin regeneration following dermocosmetic procedures and the prevention and treatment of visible signs of skin aging.
Over the course of the year, Cantabria Labs will celebrate this 20-year journey full of challenges, endorsements and results with the support of audiovisual material to showcase this success and revolution in contemporary cosmeceuticals, bound to play a leading role in the years ahead.

With this corporate transaction, Cantabria Labs is taking a further step towards diversifying its business units in its journey to consolidating its position as a global healthcare company; likewise, Stangest will embark –as part of the Cantabria Labs Group– upon an ambitious expansion process, both in the national Spanish and international markets.

The quality and innovation of Stangest’s product portfolio, along with its status as a leading company in the veterinary sector, were just some of the reasons why Cantabria Labs decided to work with Stangest to strengthen its growth through participation in a highly developed international market.

Stangest will continue to be led by its current professional team which, supported by Cantabria Labs, will be able to maximize the new possibilities and synergies that will arise out of this important agreement.

This article by Alicia Zamorron et al. was published in the scientific journal “International Journal of Molecular Sciences”. The study demonstrates that the use of Fernblock® could prevent skin damage and, in particular, aging caused by exposure to visible light and infrared radiation.

It is known that visible light and infrared radiation increase the expression of Metalloproteinase 1, an enzyme that is responsible for collagen degradation, while infrared light causes a significant decrease in fibrillin and elastin, both important for the biomechanical properties of most tissues and organs. As can be seen from the study, the protective action of Fernblock® against photo-aging is particularly clear.

Tests performed on dermal fibroblasts showed that Fernblock® increases the survival of cells irradiated with visible light and infrared radiation and reduces the activation of agents that are responsible for collagen degradation, thus protecting the components of the extracellular matrix. Fernblock® also increases the expression of fibrillin and elastin to regenerate the elements of the extracellular matrix of the skin and thereby combat aging.

The investigators conclude that the results support the use of Fernblock® as a tool against skin damage caused by exposure to infrared or visible light, as well as being beneficial in preventing photo-aging.

140 patients of three ethnicities (Caucasian, Asian and Hispanic) with melasma and age spots used a combination of Neoretin Discrom Control Gelcream SPF50 and Serum daily for 60 days for the study. All the groups displayed excellent results with a visible reduction in the intensity and extension of the hyperpigmented areas by the end of the study period.

In epidermal melasma, which is especially difficult to treat, all skin types showed a reduction of over 60%. This regime of Neoretin, with Retinsphere® Technology and a synergic combination of skin lightening properties (kojic acid, niacinamide, n-acetylglucosamine and peptides), also helped to improve general skin conditions and reduce the visible signs of aging. Subjects saw a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles, they experienced increased firmness and elasticity and noted smoother and softer skin. The study also demonstrated high product tolerability.

The main conclusion of the publication was that Neoretin Discrom Control is effective and safe in reducing melasma, hyperpigmentation and age spots in all ethnicities, including darker skin types from areas and locations with intense sun exposure. Cantabria Labs, whose principal values include innovation with rigorous scientific endorsement in its products and proven efficacy through trials and studies, sets the benchmark standard within the healthcare sector.

The value of innovation at Cantabria Labs is not only reflected in its patented technology but also in the rigorous scientific endorsement of its products, demonstrating the efficacy of its cosmeceuticals. Rigour that has given Cantabria Labs the backing of the scientific and dermatological community for over 25 years.

García-Millán C, Truchuelo MT, Gabriel MT, Nobile V, García K,et al. (2018) A Cosmeceutical Retinoid-Based Depigmentant Formulafor Different Skin Types and Ethnicities. J Clin Cosmet Dermatol 2(2):dx.doi.org/10.16966/2576-2826.124

Investigators of the National Skin Center of Singapore have shown that the use of Fernblock® oral combined with standard therapy for melasma can help reduce the extension and intensity of lesions more quickly and effectively.

The study involved 33 Asian women with melasma aged between 25 and 55 years. The women were divided into two study groups, one treated with hydroquinone 4%, (an effective anti-melasma and anti-skin spot drug product) and sunscreen SPF 50 and the other with hydroquinone 4%, sunscreen SPF 50 and oral Fernblock®.

After 60 days, the use of Fernblock® oral combined with hydroquinone 4% and sunscreen 50 SPF gave significantly better results than hydroquinone 4% and sunscreen 50 SPF alone. Furthermore, Fernblock® contributed to a faster and greater reduction in the extension and intensity of the melasma.

The investigators concluded that the antioxidant and photoprotection properties of Fernblock® make it an invaluable adjuvant for skin depigmentation and anti-melasma treatment regimes. This further highlights the innovation, efficacy and endorsement behind Cantabria Labs products thanks to its exclusive patented technologies.

Drs. Goh, Chuah, and Thng are with the National Skin Centre in Singapore. Drs. Vitale and Delgado are with the R&D Department at Industrial Farmacéutica Cantabria (IFC), SA in Madrid, Spain. Trial Registry: NHG Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB); Trial Registration Number: 2013/00237

40 women aged between 25 and 40 took part in the study, carried out at clinical research centres in Italy and China. The treatment comprised the application of the product twice daily (morning and night) for 30 days, with subsequent instrumental assessment of the results.

A reduction in the depth of wrinkles was observed after only 15 days using the treatment and a significant increase in skin hydration (+26%), luminosity (+16%), firmness (+10%) and elasticity (+8%) after 30 days.

Therefore, the high concentration of SCA growth factors (20%) and pure Vitamin C (15%) helps to regenerate skin and increase smoothness, firmness and luminosity. Its oil-free formula is ideal for all skin types, including mixed and oily.

Coinciding with the publication of this study, Endocare C Proteoglycans Oil-Free vials were awarded the prestigious “T de Telva” accolade for the most innovative cosmetic product, after being selected by a panel of 15 experts in health and beauty.

1 Vitale M, et al. “Evaluation of the Efficacy of a New Intensive Antiaging Treatment Based on the Combination of the Secretion of Cryptomphalus aspersa, Vitamin C and Proteoglycans” Journal of Clinical and Cosmetic Dermatology. 2(1); 2017

IFC®CAF is a cosmetic ingredient rich in growth factors of stem cell activation. Obtained from mollusk eggs at the specialist centre of IFC (CellHelix), the active ingredient is processed biotechnologically and its efficacy, which induces cell renewal, now boasts this new clinical and scientific endorsement.

The study was led by the prestigious dermatologist Zoe Diana Draelos and was developed with the collaboration of 40 individuals, with signs of moderate and advanced facial aging.

The anti-aging protocol used by the dermatologist and object of the study involved the application, twice daily, of the Endocare Cellage® cream and eye contour, both with the patented ingredient IFC®CAF.

Three months after starting the treatment, wrinkles of the 40 individuals decreased significantly, smoothness of facial skin increased by 53%, elasticity by 39% and luminosity by 26%.

Thus, the study demonstrates that facial care with the use of the Endocare Cellage® line, of Industrial Farmacéutica Cantabria, gives visibly younger and more luminous skin in a short period of time.

For Industrial Farmacéutica Cantabria, scientific and clinical endorsements are key to achieving support from professionals. “The study results are important, not only in the advancement of skincare and aging but also in the credibility of cosmeceutical products” commented María Vitale, Medical Director of IFC.

Enterprise, innovation and continued growth are the cornerstones of this Spanish laboratory, present in over 80 countries, so that it may investigate, produce and distribute its technologies and patents in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products.

(1) Draelos Z.D. ”The Role of a Natural Mollusk Egg-Derived Ingredient in Facial Appearance”. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, July 2017, Volume 16, Issue 7