Antioxidant Skin Care Options
Antioxidant skin care is really finding its place in the world of beauty products. Although many of us have heard a lot of talk about antioxidants, most of us usually link that word with mental pictures of blueberries, acai, and other foods that are known to be rich in antioxidants. While eating these foods is a great way to reap the benefits of antioxidants from the inside out, there are also products coming on the market that put antioxidants into direct contact with the skin. We are going to talk about some of these products as well as foods that are rich in antioxidants that you can add to your diet for the extra benefit.
Before we go into all of that, you might be wondering what it is, exactly, that antioxidants do. We all know that they’re great for combating the signs of aging as well as healing scars and other blemishes, but that’s not all! Antioxidants are actually compounds found in the body that act as cellular contractors. A few of the antioxidants you might recognize include Vitamins A, C, E, and beta carotene. They keep track of damage done to the body through both external and internal means, such as sun damage, cigarette smoke, alcohol, or stress. On a normal basis, antioxidants simply patrol your body and repair the skin or reinforce the walls of blood vessels.
Another task that antioxidants are really starting to gain recognition for is their ability to fight off the free radical cells that can develop in the body. What are free radicals, you ask? Simply put, they are by-product cells that result as the body uses oxygen. These cells aren’t necessarily defective, but close to it. They are so unstable on a deeply cellular basis that they end up taking bits away from other cells in the body—most often from the skin. As you can guess, this causes the skin cells to weaken which then leads to issues like a loss in elasticity, fine lines and wrinkles, and discoloration. Unfortunately, as we age the number of free radicals in our body goes up.
I bet antioxidants are starting to sound pretty good, right? There are many forms of commercially-distributed antioxidant supplements available, from antioxidant skin care lines to antioxidant pills. Many skin care products such as facial cleansers, toners, and masks are featuring components derived from foods high in antioxidants. The idea is to harness the antioxidant goodness from these foods and apply them directly to the skin to receive quicker improvement in the cells on the outer layer of skin. Products like pomegranate scrub and chocolate primer do exist, and they may even become commonplace in beauty aisles of the future!
But a good old fashioned diet supplemented with antioxidant rich foods is still a great way (and the most popular one) to enforce antioxidant skin care. What foods should you keep your eyes peeled for? Blueberries and pomegranate are great places to start. They’re available at most supermarkets and for a reasonable price in season. If you can’t hack the winter prices of these fruits, purchase them in bulk when they’re in season then blanch and freeze them—they’ll keep for up to 12 months this way! Blueberries were once thought to contain the most antioxidants, but research done over the last few years has suggested that the amount of antioxidants found in the acai berry blow blueberries out of the water! Now, you probably won’t find this berry in your local supermarket’s produce section, but you can find acai supplements in pill form as well as concentrated juice in the supermarket’s refrigerated juice section. Other great foods with lots of antioxidants include: cherries, strawberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, red cabbage, peppers, sprouts, beetroot, apricots, pecans, and hazelnuts. Green tea is another good one. Gosh, it’s sure going to be a chore adding those to your diet, huh?
Although the antioxidant skin care products may not be within easy reach of everyone, there is still the option of opting for an antioxidant-rich diet or taking a daily or weekly supplement, which everyone can do!