Free Radicals And Rejuvinate Your Skin
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| Radicals And Rejuvinate |
Free radicals come from naturally occurring cellular
oxidation reactions in the body, the sun, and pollutants. They can break
through the cell membrane that protects the skin's cells and cause severe
damage to the major structural proteins of the skin, collagen and elastin. The
loss of the skin's natural elasticity and resilency results in the development
of visible fine lines and wrinkles. Fortunately, there are several steps one
can take to neutralize the effects of free radicals.
Ultraviolet radiation (UV light) from sunlight is the major
contributor to skin aging. The term for this is photoaging. Photoaging is
caused by the release of free radicals in the skin from UV exposure. Sunshine
contains UV rays that damage the skin. There are two kinds of UV rays that come
from sunlight: UV-A and UV-B. UV-A rays cause tanning and long-term skin
damage, but not sunburn. UV-B rays cause tanning, sunburn, and skin damage.
The effects of severe photoaging can be dramatic, especially
on the facial skin. It can cause pronounced wrinkling, sagging, and a mottled
skin tone. The effects from photoaging can be so severe that the facial skin
can become leathery in appearance. However, there are several remedies for
photoaging: prevention, the use of sunscreens, and daily intake of
antioxidants.
Prevention offers the best chance to avoid excess sun damage
to the skin. Those who have stayed away from the sun's rays for most of their
life will have much healthier skin than the elderly individual who has been
exposed to the sun for over several decades. If you must be in the sun, then
you must protect your skin fom its harmful effects.
The first step that you can do to minimize damage to your
skin from the UV rays is to stay out of the sun as much as you possibly can.
You should wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses if you have to spend a
prolonged amount of time exposed to the sun.
You can also protect your facial skin from the harmful
effects of the sun's UV rays by using a sun screen. There are two different
kinds of sunscreens: Chemical sunscreens and physical sunscreens. Chemical
sunscreens contain substances that are similar to the skin pigment melanin (the
body's own defense against the UV rays).
These chemical sunscreens may even reverse some of the sun's
damage. The standarized measure of a product's effectiveness as a sunscreen is
called the sun protection factor (SPF). SPF15 is adequate for most people. An
SPF under 15 is rarely enough, especially for light skinned people. Protection
above SPF is marginally better, but may not justify the higher cost. One should
select a broad-spectrum sunscreen that covers both UV-A and UV-B rays.
Physical sunscreens are also known as sunblocks. Sunblocks
create an opaque, and therefore a visible barrier against UV rays. Zinc oxide is
an example of a widely available sunblock.
Antioxidants can help prevent skin damage from freeradicals. Antioxidants neutralize damaging free radicals, thereby rendering
them inactive. It is well established in the dermatological literature that
antioxidants can significantly improve the appearance of aging skin caused by
free radicals. Clinical research has proven the skin rejuvenating effects of
topically applied antioxidants.
Vitamins C and E are very potent antioxidants. Facial creams
that contain vitamins C or E can significantly improve the appearance of aging
skin by diminishing fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin C stimulates the
production of collagen, thereby restoring the skin's elasticity and resiliency.
Vitamin C is contained in citrus fruits such as oranges,
grapefruits, and lemons(and their juices). Vitamin C is also found in dark
green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and kale greens. Vitamin E is
found in eggs and wheat germ oil.
Because of the harmful effects of free radicals on the skin,
one should eat foods that are rich in antioxidants and to apply a cream
containing an antioxidant to the face before any activities that involve
prolonged sun exposure.
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