Heliocare is a daily oral supplement made from a tropical fern extract, taken as an addition to sun protection and never as a replacement for sunscreen, shade or clothing. It carries no SPF rating. Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics stocks it at its San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria offices. The usual dose is one capsule a day.
What Heliocare does, and what it absolutely does not
Everybody on this coast has the same gap in their sun protection, and it is not the morning application. It is hour four. You put sunscreen on at nine, you get on a boat or a bike or a chairlift, and the reapplication that was supposed to happen at eleven does not happen at all. That gap is where most people’s sun damage actually comes from.
Heliocare is a capsule you swallow, made from an extract of a tropical fern, and what it targets is the damage that gets past everything else. It works from the inside, so it covers the spot on your ear you missed and the back of your neck you always forget, and it does not sweat off or rub off on a towel.
Now the part that matters more than any of that. This is not sunscreen. It has no SPF, it blocks nothing, and it is not a substitute for anything. Somebody who takes a capsule and then goes lighter on the sunscreen has made their day worse rather than better. It is a second layer on top of a first layer that still has to be there.
Where Heliocare fits
- Days you know you will not reapply: a boat, a hike, a long day outdoors, a trip somewhere sunny
- People who are outside most days for work or for life, which on this coast is a lot of people
- Skin that already carries a lot of sun damage, or a history of skin cancer
- Melasma, where light drives the problem and every stray hour of it costs you progress
- The spots you always miss, because a capsule does not have edges
- On top of sunscreen, shade and clothing, never in place of any of them
It never replaces it. This is not sunscreen and it is not an SPF of any number. Broad-spectrum sunscreen at SPF 30 or higher, shade and clothing are the part with the real evidence behind them, and nothing you swallow changes that. [2]
How we use it
Get the first layer right
Broad-spectrum sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant, put on properly and put on again, plus shade and clothing. That is the layer with the evidence behind it, and no capsule changes any part of it. [2]
Add it where you get the most sun
A capsule makes the most sense for people who are out in it constantly, or whose skin has a specific reason to need more help. A history of skin cancer, a lot of existing sun damage, melasma, or a condition that makes sunlight a problem all count.
Keep it inside the plan
If we are already treating you for brown spots and red veins or for rough, scaly patches, this sits alongside that treatment rather than instead of it. You will be told where it helps and where it does nothing.
People taking the fern extract could stay in the sun almost three times as long before their skin turned red. That is a different measurement from SPF, it does not convert into one, and it does not let you use less sunscreen. It was also a small, early study, and the research since has been mixed. [1]
What actually protects you, in order
Sun protection gets sold as a shelf of equivalent options. It is not. It is a ranked list, and the ranking barely changes. Here it is, best first, with the capsule where it belongs.
1. Not being in it. Shade between ten and four does more than anything you can buy. Unglamorous and undefeated.
2. Clothing and a hat. A long-sleeved shirt does not wear off at hour four, does not need reapplying, and does not depend on you remembering anything. A wide brim covers the ears, the nose and the back of the neck, which between them account for a large share of what we biopsy.
3. Sunscreen, properly. Broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant, and applied again every couple of hours and after swimming. The single biggest failure here is not the product, it is the quantity: most people use somewhere around half of what the number on the bottle was measured with. [2]
4. Sunglasses. Eyelid skin is thin, hard to treat, and a genuinely common site for skin cancer.
5. This capsule. Fifth, deliberately. It is a useful addition for the days the first four are going to be imperfect, which on this coast is most days between May and October. It is not a way to move up the list without doing the things above it.
If you take one thing from this page: nobody at this practice will ever tell you a capsule bought you room to skip step three.
The usual dose, with an extra on a heavy sun day. There is nothing here you will see in a mirror. What you are buying is a second layer for the days you already know you will not reapply.
Where it helps most
Face
The area with the most cumulative exposure and the most to lose, and the one people do protect.
Ears and the back of the neck
The two places nearly everybody misses with sunscreen, and two places we biopsy often. A capsule has no edges.
Scalp and part line
Especially with thinning hair, where sunscreen is awkward and a hat is the real answer.
Chest and shoulders
Where a day on the water shows up first, and where reapplication is least likely to happen.
Hands and forearms
The steering-wheel exposure nobody counts, accumulated over decades of ordinary driving.
Best experience of my life! Helpful and take care of me on the spot!
The Coastal difference
We will tell you what it is not
The easiest thing to sell in a beach town is a pill that sounds like sunscreen you never have to reapply. That is not what this is, and a dermatology practice saying so plainly is the reason to buy it here rather than from an ad. Somebody who takes a capsule and then skips the sunscreen has made their day worse, not better.
Skin cancer and sun damage are the heart of what a board-certified dermatologist here treats, which means we are looking at the outcome this product is meant to prevent, on real people, every week. That is also why the recommendation comes attached to a real look at your skin. A capsule is a reasonable addition inside a whole sun-protection plan. At both of our offices it is recommended that way, or it is not recommended at all.
ZO® Skin Health
Is it right for you?
Heliocare is probably worth it if:
- You are outside most days and reapplying sunscreen is not realistically going to happen
- You have a big exposure coming up: a boat, a trip, a hike, a season of watching games outdoors
- You already have a lot of sun damage, or a history of skin cancer
- You are working on melasma and want everything possible on the prevention side
- You want a second layer, knowing full well it is the second one
Skip it if:
- You are looking for a way to use less sunscreen, which is the one thing it must never be
- Your first layer is not in place yet, in which case fix that first and it is cheaper
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding, when this is a conversation to have with your physician first
- You would rather put the money toward a sunscreen you will actually enjoy wearing, which is a completely reasonable answer and one we will agree with
Not sure? Bring it up at any appointment. This is a two-minute conversation, not a consultation.
How to use it
There is no recovery and nothing to plan around. You take a capsule daily, and on a heavy sun day you take another. Nothing visible happens, which is the point: it is prevention, and prevention never shows you anything.
Do
- Take it daily rather than only on sunny days, since protection is cumulative
- Keep doing everything on the protection list above, all of it, all the way down
- Tell us about every other medication and supplement you take
- Get your skin checked on the schedule we set, which is the actual measure of whether your sun protection is working
Don’t
- Use it as a reason to apply less sunscreen or to reapply less often
- Read the three-times figure as an SPF, because it is not one and does not convert into one
- Start it in pregnancy or while breastfeeding without speaking to your physician first
- Expect to see anything, because there is nothing to see
Tell us about any digestive upset or anything else that does not seem right. We would far rather hear from you.
Concerns treated
This is prevention, and it belongs inside a plan rather than on its own. Pick a concern to see how we approach it.
What it costs
Heliocare is priced per bottle and you can buy it without an appointment. It is a modest cost next to almost anything else on this site, and we are happy to tell you plainly whether it belongs in your routine.
If your sunscreen habit is not yet where it needs to be, the honest advice is to spend the money on a sunscreen you like enough to actually use, and revisit this later. That advice has cost us sales and it is still the right advice.
How you take it
One capsule a day, with an extra on a heavy sun day
Downtime
None
Results appear
Nothing you will see in a mirror. It is protection, not a treatment
Results last
For the day. It works while you keep taking it
Heliocare® frequently asked questions
The standard that does the actual work. Broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant, every day. Everything on this page sits on top of that. [2]
Offered at
Ready to start? Request your consultation
Fill out the form below, book online in Santa Maria (opens online scheduler), or give us a call. Cosmetic and aesthetic appointments need no referral. For medical dermatology, we are accepting new patients by referral from your primary care physician; send the referral across and then use the same form.
Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment.
Sources and medical review
1. González S, Pathak MA, Cuevas J, Villarrubia VG, Fitzpatrick TB. “Topical or oral administration with an extract of Polypodium leucotomos prevents acute sunburn and psoralen-induced phototoxic reactions as well as depletion of Langerhans cells in human skin.” *Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine.* 1997;13(1-2):50-60. Supports the tile and the FAQ: people taking the oral fern extract could stay in the sun almost three times as long before their skin turned red. Small early study of 21 people, and the author group was tied to the company that sells the extract. The measure is not SPF and does not convert into one. Research since has been mixed. PMID 9361129. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9361129/ · Peer-Reviewed Study
2. American Academy of Dermatology Association. “How to select a sunscreen.” Supports the first layer and stat tile 4: broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant, reapplied. https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/shade-clothing-sunscreen/how-to-select-sunscreen · Medical Organization
Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Heliocare® is a registered trademark of Cantabria Labs. This is a dietary supplement and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Dietary supplements are not approved by the FDA before sale. **This product is an addition to sunscreen, shade and clothing and is not a replacement for any of them. It does not carry an SPF rating.** The study cited on this page was small, was published in 1997, and its authors were tied to the company that commercializes the extract. Tell us about every medication and supplement you take before starting, and speak with your physician first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Individual results may vary. Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment.