What Are Antioxidants?

Even after the massive amount of research that‘s gone into the science of aging, the fight against wrinkles, photo-aging, dark spots, and sagging skin can still feel like a mystery without a real solution.

Although the reasons behind visible aging are numerous and complex, nature has unveiled one of its very own remedies to fight against the ever-lasting war against aging.

The inclusion of natural antioxidants in skincare formulas has been found to be effective when used to both prevent and significantly decrease the visible effects of aging.[1]

Many studies support the possibility that there are in fact natural remedies that aid in reducing and even potentially reversing the effects of aging, finally offering an alternative to what many people believe to be the only cure: cosmetic surgery.

Skin aging is a complex process involving multiple genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors. As much as most people would like to believe that this process is simple and easily avoided, nature does inevitably get its way.

The question is “when?” By understanding the factors that contribute to visible aging, we may be able to delay the process, and/or lessen its severity, giving us the best chance of aging beautifully and appearing younger than our chronological age.

There are both intrinsic (chronological) and extrinsic (environmental) processes involved in aging. These processes work in conjunction with one another and thus share one of the most important causal factors involved in aging: free radicals.

Free radicals can cause damage to multiple cellular structures within our bodies including our DNA, proteins, and cellular membranes. Free radicals have also been connected to inflammation - another major factor in our skin’s aging process.

Free radicals are indeed products of normal human metabolism. They can, however, be worsened by external or environmental factors including UV exposure, cigarette smoke, and alcohol consumption.

Luckily, our bodies do produce enzymes and molecules that act as antioxidant defense mechanisms, protecting us against free radicals by either reducing or neutralizing them. As we age, however, these natural defense antioxidants deplete, and we are unable to fight off free radicals as effectively as we once could.

With this in mind, chemists have begun to develop topical solutions that contain antioxidants, which currently are marketed to aid in the prevention of visible aging, due to their ability to fight off free radicals.

Popular and effective antioxidants often found in skincare products include Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Coenzyme Q10, resveratrol, green tea, niacinamide, and pomegranate, to name only a few. Looking for these specific ingredients in anti-aging products could potentially mean a younger look, and a decelerated outward aging process.