Guest Post: How Anti-Oxidants Help Protect Your Skin Against Aging

Here is a guest post on behalf of skinfo.com
educating us about anti-oxidants and the
role they play in protecting the skin against aging.
We found it truly insightful and hope you do too!

-VicinityMakeup

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The beauty world has been buzzing for many years about antioxidants, the powerful “cure-all” for  nature’s effects on skin. Although many products, creams, powders and even foods claim antioxidant benefits, many still don’t’ know what they are, how they work or what antioxidants can do for your skin.

Antioxidants are both nutrients (i.e. vitamins and minerals) and enzymes (proteins in your body that assist chemical reactions.) These elements help reduce the effects of oxidation, or the stress that occurs when free radicals (chemically active atoms) grab electrons from cells, protein and DNA. In other words, antioxidants protect healthy cells from damage. Oxidants are necessary for many biological processes like metabolism and breathing. Although it’s impossible to avoid some damage from free radicals (as some are a normal part of our bodies) antioxidants can help protect your skin from the free radicals found in environmental factors: pollution, sunlight, smoking and alcohol.

A healthy diet combined with antioxidant-rich skincare products can benefit your skin in a variety of ways. 

Here are a few of the top ways:

1) Increased Collagen Production – Collagen is the main protein that gives your skin elasticity (or, in other words, a tight, youthful skin tone.) Collagen is highly susceptible to free radical damage; collagen is easily broken down, causing wrinkles. Strengthen your skin and neutralize free radicals by applying an antioxidant night cream daily. This type of cream is often thicker than daily moisturizers, and can work with the restorative process of sleep to improve skin ton and allow collagen production to continue.

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2) Reduce Age Spots  -- Age spots, sometimes known as liver spots (or solar lentigines to doctors), are harmless discolorations of skin. They often appear and darken over time, and happen when sun exposure speeds up the skin pigment melanin, which becomes clumped together. To reduce the appearance of age spots, search for a daily sunscreen that includes vitamin C. The sunscreen can help stop future melanin overproduction, and the vitamin C is known to lighten age spots already existing on the skin.

3) Reduced Acne – Acne isn’t just a teenage problem; many adults suffer from this problem, too (in addition to other skin issues, like age spots or wrinkles.) Acne can be caused by different things, but if you have oily skin, this can be a culprit. Vitamin A is an amazing antioxidant to help with acne for several reasons. Vitamin A helps reduce the overall level of oil in the pores of the skin, and also move deep into pores to remove keratin plugs, which are also a known cause for acne. For adults suffering from acne, search for a daily wrinkle cream moisturizer that includes Vitamin A that can help you get clear, wrinkle-free skin tone.

4) Anti-Inflammation – Dry, cracked and inflamed skin not only looks painful, it feels painful. Individuals with dry skin can experience flare-ups due to weather or environmental factors, but antioxidants can help calm skin and restore moisture. Alpha lipoic acid, found in pine bark and green tea, have great anti-inflammatory properties and can increase circulation and promote cell regrowth. With this antioxidant, you’ll see a more even skin tone and less stress on your skin.  If you’re faced with inflamed skin, try a natural cleanser with green tea to soothe and restore.

About the author

Amanda is a social media manager for a health care organization by day and a blogger and freelance writer by night. She's also a mom to an amazing 2 year-old boy and wife to a great guy who indulges all her celebrity gossip. Amanda loves coffee, fashion, Twitter, makeup, nail polish, and cats (not always in that order.) Her work has been published on family.com and blogher.com. For more celebrity gossip, fashion, beauty and DIY, visit Amanda's blog, It's Blogworthy (http://itsblogworthy.com) or follow her on Twitter and Google+.