The Importance Of Antioxidant Creams For The Fight Against Aging

Antioxidant creams are one of the newest members of the anti-aging fight squad, however, can you really believe everything that's said about them?



The Importance of Antioxidants for your Skin



The aging process, UV radiation, smoking and pollution can all lead to the production of free radicals. If you're not sure what the word free radicals it's quite simple. Free radicals are molecules that are missing one electron or simply have an odd number of electrons. This doesn't seem like a real problem until you realize that electrons exist in pairs and will steal electrons from other molecules to stabilize themselves.



This process begins a chain reaction which ends up damaging and even destroying molecules and, subsequently, cells. If enough cells are destroyed, the damage will appear on your skin. This also means that your skin will gradually begin to deteriorate.



Antioxidants help deter this chain reaction by sacrificing one of their own electrons. By neutralizing the damaging effects of free radicals, antioxidants can slow down the aging process and help the skin repair itself.



Where to Find Antioxidants



Some of the most common and popular antioxidants include Vitamins A, C and E. Vitamin A is found in red, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables. These foods include carrots, squash, tomatoes, peaches and apricots.



Vitamin C can be found in all kinds of citrus fruits. Big, leafy vegetables like spinach and lettuce are also good sources of Vitamin C. It can also be found in strawberries and tomatoes.



Most nuts, seeds, and whole grains are considered rich sources of Vitamin E. You can also attain if from different oils such as vegetable oil and liver oil. Once again big, leafy vegetables also contain Vitamin E.



Vitamin A is often used to help treat fine lines and pigmentation problems. Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant that is mostly used to help reduce the appearance of age spots and fine lines, while Vitamin E is most often used to help reduce inflammation.



Another antioxidant found in dark red fruits and all kinds of teas are flavonoids and polyphenols. You can obtain flavonoids from grapes, red wine, pomegranates and cranberries while green tea, black tea and red tea are a great source of polyphenols.



A well rounded anti-aging routine includes a sound diet with plenty of the foods mentioned above and some kind of antioxidant skin creams.