Antioxidants in Skincare

Every single day our skin battles free-radical damage (you've heard this fancy term I'm sure) it's a simple way of saying 'crap in the air that harms our skin'; this goes double for city-dwellers! Permanent damage is done to our skin leaving us with the option to pay for expensive laser procedures to reverse signs of damage, or thanks to modern medicine, we can use topical antioxidants. Before we dive into the best products you should be slathering your face with every day, some background to better understand how to get the most from your ingredients.

What is free-radical damage?

When an oxygen molecule in the air splits into single atoms with unpaired electrons they scavenge our bodies to seek out other electrons to pair off with. essentially, our cell bonds are pulled apart by toxins in the air, leaving our epidermis weakened and more likely to become sensitized.

Why should we care? 

When electrons are are taken from our skin, it causes premature signs of aging including wrinkles, age spots, a loss of elasticity, and general lackluster tone; this process is known as the 'free radical theory of aging'.

What can we do?

By using an antioxidant serum, we slow this process - antioxidants act as a buffer between our skin and free-radicals, by latching onto those single electrons and saving our skin from losing its own. Think of them as little electron shields, antioxidants neutralize free-radicals and spare our skin the potentially damaging effects.

Some other benefits of using an antioxidant serum:

Sunburn Prevention: antioxidants are also innately anti-inflammatory, blunting your skins inflammatory response to UVA/UVB rays.

Brightens skin tone: by reducing photo damage, we break the cycle of hyperpigmentation becoming darker, and new spots appearing when we come into contact with UV/B rays.

Skin cancer prevention: Some antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C and E, have anti-carcinogenic properties and may help prevent skin cancer.

 

What ingredients are antioxidant?

Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Resveratrol
Niacinamide
CoenzymeQ10
PolyPhenols
Flavonoids
Glutathione

Product Recommendations:

Pranvera Vitamin C ($52)

Mad Hippie Vitamin C with Konjac Root ($27)

Skin Ceuticals Retinol Serum ($74)

Skin Ceuticals C E Feurlic ($166)

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% ($7.90)

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc ($5.90)

Dermatologica Multivitamin Powerfirm ($65)

How should I incorporate antioxidant products?

Because damage happens during the day while were living our lives, experts say its best to use antioxidants in your AM routine as a preventive measure; but this also means your antioxidant will be 'used up' by air pollutants and your skin may not receive it's full benefits. Because of this, applying antioxidant both AM and PM is recommended as both a preventive, and retroactive measure!

 

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