April 23, 2012 – We hear a lot about premature aging of the skin and free radical damage, but what exactly does that mean? Free radicals can be anything that affects the skin in a bad way, including UV radiation, pollution and chemical exposure all play a part in early skin damage and aging. Also, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) and Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) are responsible for a lot of the damage, but we won’t get too technical here.
Antioxidants are the best way the body has to fight off these free radicals and the process of aging, but sometimes eating foods rich in those specific vitamins and minerals isn’t enough. Your skin is last in the lunch line when it comes to the body’s distribution of antioxidants, so the American Academy of Dermatology has been studying topical antioxidants.
What they found is that applying topical antioxidants does help the skin to control free radicals and slow down the aging process, according to a recent article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) and Vitamin E (Tocopherol) need to be applied with a sunscreen if they aren’t included in the suncreen for the best protection from UV damage.
Vitamin A (Retinol) is great for healing photodamage, and so are the bioflavinoids from grape seed extract, green tea, soy and yeast extracts.
If you want to get the most UV protection from your sunscreen and prevent sun damage, premature aging and boost your skin care routine, try using some topical products that contain the antioxidants mentioned above. We’ve encouraged you to eat more foods rich in antioxidants, but give your skin some extra care by applying them directly for the best anti-aging protection.
Technorati Tags: Antioxidants, Skin Care, Anti Aging