Free Radicals are THE Cause of Skin Damage/Aging, Antioxidants are the Prevention and the Cure

Scientists now know, disease begins first at the cellular level.  It is free radicals that attack your skin, and cause damage to your skin cell’s DNA. These damaged/toxic cells then reproduce more toxic cells, which cause skin damage/aging.

Where do all these free radicals come from?

One puff of exhaust from a city bus could expose your skin to more pollutants than those your grandmother was exposed to in her whole lifetime.

Air pollution, fluorescent lights, and some computer screens, even tap water with iron in it – all of these expose your skin to more free radicals than any generation before us. And, since your skin can no longer keep up with these assaults, a chain reaction of oxidation is happening right on it.  It’s like your skin is….rusting.

Welcome to modern society, right?  Free radicals run free and your skin really does look like it’s aging faster than you are.

We have the environment to thank for unprecedented levels of free radicals challenging the skin cells you have right now.  But here’s the real problem.  These same free radicals also cause damage to the skin cells you’ll have in the future.  Which means that without intervention, damaged skin cells continue to emerge and make your skin look older – way before its time.

In short, skin you don’t even see yet already looks older.

What are the major sources of free radicals in/on our skin?

1) Unprotected sun exposure

2) Pollution/chemical exposure/smoking

3) Skin care products- ingredients that produce free radicals (i.e. benzoyl peroxide, hydrogen               peroxide, hydroquinone)

4) Normal chemical processes in the body that give off free radicals

So what’s the solution to all of this free radical damage?

Fortunately for us, science has also discovered that antioxidants have the ability to stop the chain reaction of free radical cellular damage.  As they prevent free radial damage they actually slow the aging process.

Want to sustain the youthful appearance of your skin?  It’s pretty simple.  Increase your antioxidant nutrients, which will allow your skin to make healthy cells.  Who then, reproduce more healthy cells. The keys to more healthy-looking radiant skin – nutrients!

Antioxidant nutrient ingredients such as vitamins A, C, & E, grapeseed extract, panthenol, and beta glucan should be in every topical product we put on our skin, and definitely in our sun protection we wear everyday. We must also avoid all skin care products containing free radical producing ingredients.

Because, eating a diet rich in antioxidants is simply not enough.  It is estimated that only about 2-3% of the antioxidants we eat, get to the skin. To significantly reduce skin damage and repair the skin, we must apply products to our skin that contain high levels of antioxidants.  The epidermis has no direct supply of blood to provide antioxidants, and it also has the greatest exposure to sun and chemicals. Our skin is literally craving antioxidants.

The good news – our skin can tolerate an infinite supply of antioxidants. When we give our skin the nutrients  it craves, the skin’s aging process will dramatically slow down – provided the skin is protected from sun damage and free radicals are no longer being applied to the skin.  It will produce healthy cells. Healthy cells = healthy, soft, radiant looking skin.

Anti-aging skin concerns are not just for baby boomers. It is estimated that between birth and age 27, our body’s antioxidant levels pretty much equal  the intensity of our free radical attacks.  But from age 27 and on, our antioxidant levels decline, and free radical damage increases.  By age 82, free radical damage is 60 times greater than at age 22.

Our goal for younger looking skin then, is to increase antioxidant usage and keep it at a rate greater than the rate of free radical damage to our cells.  Topical antioxidant skin care will protect you.  The result will be anti-aging and rejuvenating!

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