ms@dermae.net.

Best regards

Sondra Miles
http://www.dermae.net

Understanding Topical Antioxidants: How Anti-Aging Skin Nutrients Work
Touch your face, what do you feel? Look in the mirror, what
do you see? You are looking at your largest organ and the
part of you that everyone sees: your skin. Though often
under appreciated, your skin performs many important
physiological functions and is extremely susceptible to
free radical damage. To function optimally and stay
healthy, your skin needs nourishing with antioxidants from
the inside and outside.

Free Radicals
Our bodies are under continuous attack by free radicals,
extremely reactive molecules produced by our environment
and our bodies that damage cells and tissues. Free radical
damage to skin causes wrinkles, loss of tone, hyper
pigmentation, aging, and skin cancer. On the inside, free
radical damage is implicated in various diseases including
cancers, degenerative diseases, and inflammatory illnesses
as well as the aging process itself .

Antioxidants
Our body has a natural defense mechanism to protect itself
from the danger of free radical attack: antioxidants.
Antioxidants are specific vitamins, minerals, or nutrients
that inactivate free radicals before they can damage cells.
Hundreds of antioxidants exist; some, such as Alpha Lipoic
Acid, the body produces whereas others, such as vitamins E
and C, we must consume. They each function slightly
differently but work together synergistically to keep the
body and skin healthy.

Antioxidants and Skin
The skin is constantly exposed to free radicals produced by
harmful pollutants in the environment and, most
significantly, UV light. To maintain healthy, youthful skin
we must ensure that our skin has enough antioxidants to
adequately protect itself. We can deliver these
antioxidants to our skin through diet, supplements, and
topical products.

For our overall health, we need a healthy diet and
supplements, but for the health of our skin, internal
nourishment is not enough: topical antioxidants are
essential. Internal supplementation improves the levels of
antioxidants in skin cells, but research now shows that
topical application delivers these important nutrients to
the skin much more quickly . Countless studies demonstrate
that topical antioxidants protect skin from UV damage,
reduce inflammation, and protect against certain types of
cancer.

Topical Antioxidants
Topical formulations contain many different antioxidants:
choose a combination for your skin. Some are stronger than
others and many offer additional health benefits. Vitamins
C and E, two well-known antioxidants, are both essential
for skin health. Additionally, vitamin C stimulates
collagen synthesis, and vitamin E provides excellent
hydration benefits. Astaxanthin, a carotenoid, is 500 times
more powerful than vitamin E and anti-inflammatory.
Pycnogenol®, another powerful antioxidant, helps
improve microcirculation and also enhances the function of
vitamin C .

These topical antioxidants, as well as others, will protect
your skin and optimize skin health, but choose topical
products carefully. Look for products that have effective
concentrations of these important antioxidants and avoid
products that contain potentially harmful ingredients such
as mineral oil, petrolatum, and parabens.

----------------------------------------------------
Sondra Miles has a BS in Brain and Cognitive Sciences with
a minor in Chemistry from MIT. She writes extensively on
natural skin care, topical antioxidants and skin botanicals
and is a member of the Research and Development team at
derma e® Natural Bodycare. For a free sampler pack and
catalog of derma e® products visit
http://www.dermae.com/samples .