Whilst antioxidants may be largely known for their array of health benefits across the body, did you know they are pumped with skin boosting benefits as well?
In fact, increasing your antioxidant status can provide an array of skin health benefits including; preventing ageing, reducing acne, improving skin tone, brightening, improving skin wound healing and cellular integrity and even your skin complexion!
So what are antioxidants and how do they work?
Antioxidants help protect against free radical damage, helping to provide an extra line of defence within our cellular structure and integrity.
Everyday exposure to things like UV rays, pollution, cigarette smoke, and environmental toxins expose our cells to these ‘free radicals’, which essentially impair and alter our cell membrane and generates free radical damage.
When we have a high amount of these, or accumulate too many free radicals this can create what’s known as ‘oxidative stress’. Antioxidants help to stabilise the cell membrane and prevent damage caused by oxidative stress.
Here are the key antioxidants I recommend for optimal skin health!
Vitamin A
Provides key support for anti-ageing and increasing skin rejuvenation as it helps to increase cellular turnover and collagen production.
Also, particularly beneficial for clearing skin and preventing acne, and reducing overactivity of the sebaceous glands.
Vitamin C
This is essential for collagen production and repair.
Its benefits include supporting collagen production, elasticity and blood vessel repair.
It helps with brightening the skin and boosting tone and texture of the skin, which helps to prevent sun damage and pigmentation. It helps stabilise cell membranes, increases cell turnover and protects against sun damage and pigmentation. Particularly beneficial for boosting skin luminosity and complexion.
Vitamin E
This helps to neutralise free radical damage, this nutrient has various functions both topically and internally when it comes to protecting the skin.
It helps to absorb UVB light helping to decrease the effect of sun damage. Within the skin cell membrane it helps to nourish the cell, providing a barrier around the skin to keep the skin hydrated and moisturised.
Selenium
Similarly to vitamin E, this also helps to neutralise free radical damage, helps to decrease inflammation, free radical damage and other skin damaging compounds, preventing wrinkle formation. Essentially selenium provides a safe ‘coating’ around our cellular membrane.
CoQ10
CoQ10 topically applied has been shown to help reduce oxidative damage caused by UV rays.
It is involved in energy production, helping to prevent skin degradation by improving collagen production formation and integrity and helps supports mitochondrial function, neutralising free radical damage.
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
This provides multiple benefits; however is particularly beneficial if you experience dryness, or sensitised flaking skin including eczema or psoriasis.
Its involvement includes rebuilding the barrier function of the skin, keratin formation and helps provide a lipid barrier, and retaining moisture, particularly important if you are experiencing dry or flaking skin. It also helps with regulating oil production, which is key for oily/ acne skin types.
Having an adequate supply of antioxidants is crucial for our skin health and integrity, as well as protecting our overall cellular membrane. They help with strengthening the structure of our skin and increasing cellular turnover (encouraging a new cell cycle, increasing skin rejuvenation).
If you would like to know more about how nutrients can help your skin, please subscribe to the email below to receive weekly updates on all things skin health and nutrition!
Of coarse, if you feel you need more support, or are struggling with identifying the right treatment for you skin, we would love to assist you. Simply send an email below or get in touch and we can have a chat about how to best support your optimum health, from the inside out!
Till next time, take care
Dominique @ Skin Nutrition Co. X