How To Choose The Right Antioxidants For Your Skin Type
Antioxidants perform an excellent job of protecting your skin against sun damage by free radicals. Free radicals are molecules with one secondary electron, and they look for other molecules to ‘steal’ the other electron, ultimately causing damage to your skin. Antioxidants protect the skin cells by donating their electron to the free radicals and saving the healthy skin cells from damage.
What Are Antioxidant?
Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in the body. Your body has its own antioxidant defense system to fight off free radicals. However, antioxidants are also found in food, especially fruits, vegetables and other whole foods of plant origin. Several vitamins, such as vitamins E and C, are powerful antioxidants.
Antioxidants are substances that help protect the surface of the skin from oxidative damage caused by free radicals and environmental factors such as UV rays and pollution. Antioxidants are often found in skin care formulations due to their powerful antiaging effects.
If you wish to incorporate antioxidants into your everyday skincare regimen, you have a wide variety of options. This article discusses the various options of antioxidants that you can include in your skincare regimen.
Best Antioxidants For Each Skin Type
Vitamin C:
Vitamin C is regarded as one of the market’s best antioxidants and anti-aging ingredients. It leaves your skin smooth, supple, and glowing. It speeds up collagen and elastin production, keeping your skin cells healthy. Collagen is a protein found in your skin, which diminishes with age and results in wrinkles and fine lines. Vitamin C serums boost collagen production since vitamin C is the essential cofactor for the two enzymes required for collagen synthesis:
- Lysyl hydroxylase (provides structural strength)
- Prolyl hydroxylase (Stabilizes collagen molecule)
UV rays from the sun also result in hyperpigmentation and collagen damage. Here vitamin C comes into play and inhibits the enzyme that produces melanin in the skin and boosts collagen production. Vitamin C serums or moisturizers can be applied under makeup as they can protect from sun rays and help even skin tone and texture.
Hyaluronic acid:
Hyaluronic acid naturally occurs in your body, joints, skin, and eyes. When applied to the skin, it locks moisture into the skin. Hyaluronic acid absorbs into the skin faster than other humectant agents and is known for its plumping properties. It provides hydration to your skin, making it plumper, thus reducing the signs of aging, such as wrinkles and fine lines. In addition, hyaluronic acid binds to the water molecules and preserves them within the skin.
Vitamin E:
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin found as a natural part of the sebum that our skin secretes. It works as an antioxidant and protects our skin cells from damage. When added to moisturizers, vitamin E showcases many benefits for your skin. For example, it protects your skin from sun damage, softens it, and locks in moisture.
Since vitamin E protects your skin from sun damage, this does not imply that you stop using sunscreen! This is because Vitamin E only absorbs UVB light, and that also to a very low extent. It does not protect against UVA light and can cause sunburns or skin cancer. So it is advisable to always include sunscreen in your daily skincare routine.
Retinol:
Retinol has been the talk of the town owing to its anti-aging properties. Retinol is a form of vitamin A that does not remove dead skin cells like most other skincare products. Instead, it penetrates the deeper layers of the skin and goes down to the dermis. Once in the deeper layers of the skin, it neutralizes the free radicals and helps boost collagen and elastin production. This, in turn, helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and enlarged pores.
Retinol is an ingredient that should make up your skincare shelves if you desire to achieve anti-aging effects. It is available as an over-the-counter preparation. Retinol is the most potent OTC version of retinoids compared to other preparations such as retinaldehyde and retinyl palmate. To achieve the maximum benefits of retinol, use it regularly for at least 2-3 months.
Niacinamide:
Believe it or not, niacinamide had properties of skin magic! It is a powerhouse of magic. It has anti-aging properties with reduced fine lines and wrinkles, calming redness, fighting discoloration or pigmentation, and brightening tone. Moreover, it locks moisture into your skin, builds proteins, and works as a protecting agent from various environmental toxins and pollutants.
Owing to its antioxidant properties, niacinamide helps protect healthy skin cells from environmental damage, such as toxins, pollution, and harmful ultraviolet rays coming from the sun.
Conclusion
Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in the body. Your body has its own antioxidant defense system to fight off free radicals. antioxidants are also found in food, especially fruits, vegetables and other whole foods of plant origin. Several vitamins, such as vitamins E and C, are powerful antioxidants.
What's Your Reaction?