4 Must-Eat Foods for Healthy Skin

Give your skin inside-out protection from the sun by putting these four items into your shopping cart:

1. Pomegranates

2. Tomatoes

3. Dark chocolate

4. Tea

The antioxidants in this tasty quartet of treats may help thwart skin cancer, according to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine.

Sunblock Effects

No food can replace the awesome sun-busting power of sunscreen, but some foods may work their way from the inside out to give your skin a little extra protection. The antioxidants in pomegranates, tomatoes, dark chocolate, and tea "can migrate to upper layers of your skin, bolstering resistance to ultraviolet damage," La Puma writes. (Browse his book online.)

3 Steps to Super Skin

Most of us know someone who’s had something worrisome removed. Save yourself from joining their ranks by taking these simple skin-saving steps:

1. Slather it on -- lots of it. You don’t want to skimp on sunscreen.

2. Check yourself -- and your loved ones. Regular skin self-exams can reduce your risk of dying of melanoma by 44 percent! Here’s what to look for.

3. Start early. About 50–80 percent of a person’s lifetime risk of skin damage happens during childhood.