The Role of Antioxidants in Skin Care

Antioxidants: what are they and what is all the buzz about?

Can they really improve your skin and prevent you from aging? Antioxidants are substances which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our bodies and our skin. When our cells use oxygen they naturally produce free radicals which can cause damage. Antioxidants work as free radical scavengers thereby preventing the damage they may cause.

Where do we find them?
Some antioxidants are found in foods:
Vitamin C and A are found in bright fruits and carrots, Vitamin E is found in nuts and seeds and selenium is in fish and shell fish. Flavonoids or polyphenols are antioxidants are found in red wine (Yeah!) purple grapes, pomegranates and cranberries. Lycopenes are found in tomatos, watermelon, and pink grapefruit. Lutein is found in dark green vegetables such as kale, spinach and broccoli and finally ligans are found in oatmeal and rye.Two vitamin-like antioxidants are CoQ10 and Glutathione. The body also makes its own antioxidants in superoxide dismutase catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Coffeeberry (found in Revaleskin) is a remarkable fruit with one of the highest antioxidant scores ever recorded. Finally there is Idebenone which is the antioxidant found in Prevage MD (Allergan)


Antioxidants in skin care: why we need them:
In the natural aging process, oxidative stress occurs at a rate at which the body is no longer able to neutralize free radicals. Free radicals accelerate the cellular damage known to cause premature aging. Antioxidants are an important addition to your daily skin care treatment regime. Next to sunblock, an antioxidant is probably the best thing you can do for your skin. Antioxidants are another form of protection. They neutralize free radicals before extensive damage can occur and they defend against further damage caused by everyday environmental factors, including sun pollution, heat and wind. So while it is always important to get daily antioxidants in your food it is also important to have it in your daily skin care regime as well.


Find out more about antioxidants and what products we recommend in our Physician's Picks section.