About Antioxidants and the Skin

How can free radicals damage our skin?
Free radicals contribute to the skin’s ageing process by damaging lipids, proteins and nucleic acids in our skin. Free radicals also cause inflammation, reduce collagen and elastin production and increase collagen and elastin breakdown in the skin. In addition, free radicals also play a role in skin cancer.

How important are antioxidants in the fight against skin ageing?
They play a significant role. There are a variety of mechanisms involved in skin ageing including shortening of DNA telomeres, mutations in mitochondrial DNA with subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction, formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and last but not least free radical damage of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids in our skin.

Where are antioxidants present?
Antioxidants are present everywhere in our bodies. The skin also contains a variety of different antioxidants. Antioxidants can be divided into enzymatic antioxidants such as glutathione and low-molecular-weight antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E and ergothioneine. Both types of antioxidants are present in our skin.

How effective are antioxidants in skincare?
That depends largely on the specific product. There are countless factors influencing whether a skincare product really will deliver, but a good antioxidant product should certainly be included in everybody’s daily skincare routine, as a good product will greatly contribute to protecting the skin from premature skin ageing. Some antioxidants work particularly well in concert, as they recycle each other, e.g. vitamin C and E.

What other ingredients are important if we want to have youthful looking skin?
Although antioxidants are crucial and should be present in everybody’s daily skincare routine, antioxidants should not be the only active ingredient you use, if you serious about combating skin ageing. A good vitamin A derivative for example (e.g. retinol or retinaldehyde) is also important. And of course you should always use a broadspectrum sun protection moisturizer with SPF 30-50 all year around.

What would your top three anti aging products be? And do any of these include antioxidants?

am:
1.) Antioxidant serum:
e.g. Skinceuticals’ CE Ferulic for normal skin, Phloretin GEL for dry, sensitive skin and Phloretin CF serum for oily to combination skin.

2.) Broadspectrum sun protection moisturizer:
e.g. Skinceuticals Sheer Mineral Defense or Heliocare Gel, both SPF 50.

pm:
3.) Vitamin A derivative containing product:
e.g. Avene’s Ystheal+ for normal skin, Skinceuticals’ Retinol 0.3-0.5 for combination to oily skin or Avene’s Eluage cream for dry skin.