Last time we discussed the importance of wearing sunscreen daily to protect and prevent. Well adding antioxidants, doubles that protection and prevention! Think of sunscreen as Batman and antioxidants as Robin, yes Batman is powerful all on his own but with Robin at his side he is even more powerful. So you get double the PROTECTION to help PREVENT you from harm and even help CORRECT the damage you have already incurred. There are lots of bad guys in the environment, called free radicals that attack the cell damaging your cell membrane and DNA causing the skin to age in an accelerated rate. Antioxidants, or Robin, are naturally occurring substances like vitamins, minerals and enzymes that provide protection to prevent the damaging effects caused by free radicals, or bad guys, and to help you maintain healthy glowing skin.
Most antioxidants protect the skin from those pesky bad guys, free radicals to help prevent skin damage, a couple correct the damage that has already been done but all of them work to preserve the skin’s healthy looking appearance by boosting collagen to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. Let’s talk about each of these antioxidants individually as well so you can fully understand the benefits they provide our skin, I like to start with the powerhouses for protection and prevention. Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant for the skin but it is not produced by the body, it only comes from healthy fruits and vegetables. However increasing your intake of Vitamin C rich food or taking supplements does not seem to do much for your skin, in order to get all the benefits of Vitamin C you need to apply it topically using a serum, lotion or cream. Vitamin E soothes dryness by helping the skin retain its natural moisturizers. Some studies suggest that an anti-inflammatory action kicks in to reduce damage even after you’ve been in the sun. Pretty cool right? Even cooler is that when you use C&E together you get 4x more protection against free radicals, we can do that. B vitamins play an important role in promoting the growth of healthy cells. The one used most in skin care products is Vitamin B3, also known as niacinamide, which boosts hydration to reduce redness by increasing the production of ceramides strengthening the skin’s protective barrier keeping moisture in and irritants out. Another benefit is that Vitamin B3 inhibits the transfer of pigment to skin cells, minimizing dark spots. Resveratrol, yes this is what is considered beneficial in red wine, helps enhance firmness, reduce dryness and smooth skin texture, this is such a nice one but unfortunately drinking wine does not get you the results you will have to apply it topically. Some other antioxidants to note are green tea, grape seed, coenzyme Q10. The superstar antioxidant for correction is Vitamin A, most commonly known as retinoids, retinol, retinoic acid, retin-a and tretinoin, it is the best overall age fighter. Vitamin A is proven to reduce wrinkles, fade brown spots and even smooth roughness by improving the production of collagen and elastin which makes the skin more firm and tight. Anyone who wants younger looking skin should be using a product with Vitamin A in it, enough said. Due to its nature as an exfoliator there can be irritation, redness, dryness and flaking but we have some tricks to help with that so don’t worry.
Now you see why antioxidants are so important, Batman needs Robin! A good skin care regimen should include at least Vitamin C, PROTECTION and PREVENTION, in the morning and Vitamin A, CORRECTION, at night in order to keep those free radicals from damaging the skin. We offer an array of products in The Skin Bar that have these powerful antioxidants.