5 Antioxidants That Work Wonders on Your Skin

Oxidants are free radicals with an uneven number of electrons that put oxidative stress on every part of our body, including the skin. The damage excess oxidative stress does to our systems happens on a cellular level. This weakens and often destroys cell membranes, as well as altering the DNA structures inside those cells.

The effects of this damage become evident to us in the form of atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple types of cancers like melanoma, premature aging, loss of the skin’s natural sheen, dull and lifeless hair, loss of skin elasticity, and much more.

Antioxidants and their Vital Role in Skincare

Antioxidants do exactly as their classification suggests and neutralize a large number of free radicals on a daily basis, reducing the overall oxidative stress as a result. They provide the free radicals with one extra electron, which naturally evens out their odd atomic structure, neutralizing the oxidant’s previously volatile, chemically reactive nature completely. Just in case you are wondering, only radicals with oxygen in them can become harmful free radicals, which is why they are called oxidants.

Now that we have a basic understanding of the prime two concepts being discussed here, let’s get into the antioxidants that are known and proven to be particularly effective against oxidative stress-related effects on human skin.

Vitamins A, C, and E

All vitamins in existence can act as antioxidants, but it’s these three in particular that have the most profoundly positive effects on our skin as antioxidative agents.

• Vitamin A -Also known as retinol when used topically for fading uneven skin tones, blemishes, fine lines, and even wrinkles to a certain degree. Retinol is quite strong, so start with a very low concentration, and use only a tiny dab to see how your skin reacts. If you can tolerate it, retinol will even add skin renewal and rejuvenation properties.
• Vitamin C – Vitamin C helps in increasing collagen production naturally and contributes towards brightening the skin and evening out dark spots or blemishes.
• Vitamin E–Vitamin E makes our skin heal faster than it normally would, helping in removing scars, skin blemishes, acne marks, etc. faster and better. It also has excellent skin moisturizing properties.

This should be noted that by combining the three vitamins A, C, and E in adequate proportions, maximum antioxidative effects can be seen on the skin, giving way to healthy and radiant skin that looks much younger than it otherwise would.

Coenzyme q10(Ubiquinone)

Coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone(abbreviated as CoQ10) is a powerful, yet gentle antioxidant for the skin, which shows excellent regenerative and cell-energizing properties. Here’s one you can try from Herbal Dynamic Beauty, which comes as a hydrating, antiaging, and rejuvenating toner, best used after an exfoliation session. Certain profound positive impacts that you can hope to see from the regular application of topical CoQ10 are as follows.

• Major antiaging, antioxidative agent for reducing fine lines in particular
• Boosts collagen and elastin cell regeneration
• Helps in maintaining cellular metabolism
• Hydrates all layers of the skin, making it look and feel supple, healthy and glowing

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are antioxidants found in tea leaves, both black and green. When used topically, flavonoids have been found to be potent in:

• Treating symptoms and outbreaks of rosacea
• Decreasing inflammation of any almost any kind on the epidermis, including those from acne
• Absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, thereby reducing the chances of melanoma or any other type of skin cancer
• Preventing sun damage and premature aging through healthy manipulation of the signal pathways
• Decreasing collagen loss

A combination of the above in the right proportions can really do wonders for anyone’s skin. In case you have never used something like CoQ10 or retinol before though, the effects could practically surprise you.