How the Pharmanex S3 BioPhotonic Scanner works:
The BioPhotonic Scanner measures the carotenoid antioxidant levels in your skin to demonstrate the effectiveness of your supplements in improving your overall antioxidant health. (Note, however, that this will only pick up the effects of certain antioxidants, and that excessive use of antioxidants may dampen the work of the body's endogenous antioxidant system.)

Placing the palm of your hand in front of the BioPhotonic Scanner's safe, low-energy blue light laser, and you will obtain an immediate reading of the carotenoid antioxidant levels in your skin - your Skin Carotenoid Score.

By measuring the stable level of carotenoid antioxidants in your skin and generating your Skin Carotenoid Score, the Scanner provides a more accurate and reliable biomarker of your overall antioxidant health status than other methods of measuring antioxidants.

• Pharmanex believes the results of a new study further prove that its BioPhotonic Scanner is an accurate and safe way to measure carotenoids that are being increasingly heralded for their health benefits.
• The company claims that the study showed that the scanner - a non-invasive method to measure carotenoid antioxidant activity in human tissue - produced carotenoid measurements with less variability than blood carotenoids (measured by conventional HPLC methods).
• The study also found a strong correlation between the BioPhotonic Scanner scores and blood carotenoids.
• During eight days they provided three fasted blood samples and three same-day Raman-spectroscopic determinations of skin carotenoids.
• The toaster-size scanner works by the patient placing the palm of his hand in front of a low-energy blue light laser, which allows him to obtain a reading of his carotenoid antioxidant level.
• Carsten Smidt, vice president of research and development for Pharmanex, told NutraIngredientsUSA.com that this method is also accurate because the reading is not altered by skin color or melanin levels.
• Smidt hopes that as more and more people have access to this equipment and are aware of their carotenoid score, they will be encouraged to up their intake of fruit and veg or begin the regular consumption of an antioxidant supplement.