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Antioxidants, The Key To Fighting Skin Aging

April 21, 2021

What do UV radiation, pollution, dust, pesticides, alcohol, cigarette smoke, food, excessive exercises, and inflammation have in common? They create free radicals that in excess amount is the main cause of skin aging.

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What Are Free Radicals?

Our cells are made of molecules that contain electrons that must stay in pairs to stay stable and healthy. Free radical is an unstable atom or molecule that is missing an electron. To make itself whole, it attacks the nearest stable molecule and steals an electron. This action not only leads to damages to all components of a cell, including DNA, proteins, lipids and its membrane, it also sets off a chain reaction of cellular disruption whereby the victimised molecule, now missing an electron, is transformed into a free radical.

Free radicals and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) have a necessary function for proper physiological function in the body——at a regulated amount, they can prevent bacterial, fungal and other pathogenic invasion from infecting the body. However, when there is an excess of free radicals in the body, they can create oxidative stress that manifest as diseases at certain ages determined by genetic and environmental factors, such as cancer, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Our skin being the largest organ of our bodies, is obviously non-exempted.

Free radicals damage the skin by triggering chronic inflammations, as well as breaking down the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin. Although invisible to the eyes, this gradually slows down our skin’s natural rejuvenation process, and appears on the skin in the form of dryness, dullness, loss of elasticity, wrinkles, pigmentation, redness, itchiness, and even chronic conditions like eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis.

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The Role of Antioxidants

To neutralise and prevent the damages caused by such free radicals, antioxidants scavenges the free radicals and offer up one of their electrons, thereby preventing healthy cells and tissues from breaking down. This halts the chain reaction of free radical production, thereby preventing oxidative stress and skin cell damages, and allowing our skin to heal and repair itself.

How Antioxidants Work | Ambrosia | Hong Kong

Now, our bodies naturally produce antioxidants, but they are not nearly enough to combat all the oxidative stressors that we are exposed to everyday. There is no way we can direct the antioxidants our bodies produce to our skin either.

This is where topical antioxidants from our daily skincare routine come in. Used in the mornings, they would help fight free radicals we are exposed to during the day; used at nights, they help repair the ongoing damages accumulated during the day, whilst stimulating the our bodies’ own natural production of antioxidants.

EATH Library Wise Awakening Advanced Nourishing Toner | Ambrosia | Hong Kong

Product Recommendation
EATH LIBRARY
Wise Awakening Advanced Nourishing Toner <- Click to shop

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Most Noteworthy Benefits Antioxidants Provide For The Skin

Protects the skin from free radical damages
Reduce and prevent the appearance of wrinkles
Firm skin
Brighten the complexion and lighten pigmentation
Decrease inflammation level
Sooth skin and reduce redness and irritations
Help the skin repair itself

Here is the catch. There is more than one single type of free radical out there, which means they can attack different parts of the skin via different pathways. It is thus best to take a holistic approach, and supplement the skin with a cocktail of antioxidants, instead of focusing on one and hope for the best.

ANFISA Skin LILOU Radiant Hydra Balm | Ambrosia | Hong Kong

Product Recommendation
ANFISA
LILOU Radiant Hydra Balm <- Click to shop

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Types of Antioxidants

It is impossible to list all the antioxidants, as there are thousands of different substances that can act as antioxidants, but here are some examples (some may even be broken down into over 600 different types):