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Here's How To Protect Skin From Free Radical Damage
Free radical damage isn’t as scary as it sounds! While it can be harmful, there are many ways to protect your skin. Learn how in this post. Shop Bespoke Vitamin C 15% Here’s How a Free Radical Can Damage Skin If you’ve ever cut into an apple and watched it turn brown after awhile, you’ve witnessed oxidation, something that a free radical is responsible for. A similar thing happens in our skin, but over a period of decades instead of minutes. Free radicals, often referred to as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), are highly unstable molecules that are missing an electron. In their search for stability (another electron), a free radical steals one from a stable molecule, causing that molecule to become unstable. This leads to a chain reaction, known as a free radical cascade, that creates more free radicals. Eventually, this process causes damage to our cell membranes, proteins and DNA. When it comes to our skin’s structure, components like collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid are damaged leading to premature skin aging including visible signs like fine lines and wrinkles and dullness. What Causes Free Radicals? Free radicals are caused by everyday biochemical reactions that occur in our body, but thankfully we have control over lots of external factors that trigger and increase their production: UV Light. Moderate sun exposure is good for us – we need it, it produces vitamin D after all. But, overexposure triggers free radicals, which can lead to DNA damage along with photoaging and hyperpigmentation Like sun exposure, pollution can trigger free radicals, ultimately leading to skin damage Smoking isn’t just bad for our overall health. Cigarette smoke contains free radicals cause a range of problems including premature skin aging Excess alcohol, processed food and those high in saturated fats, are some of the worst offenders for triggering free radicals This is the Best Way to Neutralize Free Radical Damage Minimize free radical damage by eating well (up the fruits & veggies, nuts & oily fish – reduce alcohol), minimizing sun exposure, and stopping smoking. And, add in antioxidants! Antioxidants work by donating one of their own electrons to a free radical without becoming unstable, helping to stop the cascade of damage. Vitamins A, C and E are the most well-known, but several others, including, ferulic acid, green tea, astaxanthin, lycopene, etc. also benefit skin. When it comes to antioxidants, the more the merrier. We’ve formulated our Bespoke Vitamin C Serum, to include not only Vitamins C & E, but also ferulic acid, green tea extract along with others. The moisturizing serum base protects skin from damage and restores its youthful and radiant appearance. Have you tried a Vitamin C serum before?
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This Serum Can Fight Free Radicals
Learn how to fight free radicals, molecules which can damage skin, by adding this serum to your daily skincare routine. Shop Bespoke Vitamin C 15% What Are Free Radicals? ‘Free radicals’ AKA Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) impact our health, including that of our skin. They are created in our bodies as a result of exposure to certain different physical or chemical conditions or illness, including pollution, UV rays, some pesticides and smoke along with the consumption of excess alcohol and some fried foods. Free radicals are thought to contribute to diseases such as heart disease, autoimmune disorders (like rheumatoid arthritis), diabetes and degenerative diseases (Huntington’s or Parkinson’s disease) as well as cancer. Age-related changes in our appearance, including a loss of skin elasticity, wrinkles, graying hair, hair loss, and changes in hair texture are also thought to be related to free radicals. That’s why it’s important to fight free radicals. How to Fight Free Radicals in Skin Once free radical damage starts, it’s thought that a ‘cascade’ of damage occurs, producing more free radicals and speeding up the process of cell damage. This buildup of free radicals offers one explanation for why even healthy bodies age and deteriorate over time. Antioxidants are highly stable molecules, which donate an electron to free radicals, reducing their path of destruction and thereby lessening the damage they cause. Because they are so stable, antioxidants can do this without becoming free radicals themselves. Our bodies make several important antioxidants – glutathione, catalase, superoxide dismutase – and we can help to fight free radicals even further by consuming antioxidant rich foods or by applying them topically. One single antioxidant isn’t enough; we benefit from a combination of including the following: Vitamin C Vitamin E Ferulic acid Green Tea Resveratrol Coenzyme Q10. Apothekari Bespoke Vitamin C Serum is made with a combination of antioxidants and designed to fight free radicals, promote collagen synthesis, brighten skin tone and improve the appearance of aging skin. It is available in a 10% (sensitive skin) or 15% concentration (non-sensitive skin) and each bottle is made fresh to order, guaranteeing its potency. Apply to skin daily every morning to fight free radicals leaving skin looking more youthful and radiant. Top Tip: Eat Your Antioxidants While the topical application of antioxidants is beneficial to skin, we can’t discount the importance of nutrition. Fruits, vegetables and spices including onion, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon and ginger are a major source of antioxidants, which can help to reduce the risk of developing certain diseases. Enjoy the variety; it is the spice of life after all!
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