Antioxidant Skincare

source:flickr by:joe marinaro

Antioxidant Ingredient Close-Up: Pomegranate Extract

One of the most powerful (and yummy) antioxidants foods is the pomegranate. This lush, seed-bearing fruit provides vitamins C and B5, potassium and, of course, antioxidant polyphenols. Pomegranate juice contains 2,860 ORAC units per 100 grams and is said to rival the antioxidant capabilities of red wine, green tea and wild blueberries . With all of these great benefits, it’s no wonder why skin care companies have started to harness the power of the pomegranate.

So, aside from being a potent skin antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals, what are the benefits of using pomegranate extract skin care products? Take a look below to learn about the protective and anti-aging abilities of pomegranate extract in skin care.

Anti-Aging
Pomegranate extract is proven to boost the skin’s collagen production. Collagen is what gives youthful skin a supple, plump texture and appearance. The loss of collagen is what leads to many visible signs of aging, including fine lines and sagging skin. Pomegranate can also rebuild the skin’s outer layers and protect against the visible effects of oxidation.

In addition to pomegranate extract’s potent collagen-boosting capabilities, some skin care companies, such as Rodial, also use pomegranate ellagic tannin. This pomegranate derivative is supposedly nature’s most potent firming and collagen-enhancing ingredient.

Sun Protection
Using an antioxidant product formulated with pomegranate extract can boost your SPF formulation by up to 20%! This means you may be able to go longer between re-application of your sunscreen products and experience fewer or less severe sunburns.

Cancer
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin claim that pomegranate is a powerful anti-skin cancer ingredient. Before inducing skin tumors, researchers pretreated a percentage of skin samples with pomegranate extract. These pretreated samples showed “substantially reduced tumor incidence.” Since skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, the effects of pomegranate on skin cancer tumors is quite a breakthrough!

With all these proven benefits, plus the possibility of even more unknown benefits, pomegranate extract is definitely an ingredient you’d like to see in your antioxidant skin care regimen.

source:flickr by:scpgt

Feed Your Skin With Chocolate!

Chocolate. It’s delicious, versatile and filled with antioxidants. In only 1.5 ounces of undutched cocoa powder, you’ll find 13,396 ORAC units. Compare that to acai berry, one of the leading antioxidant foods, which has 18,500 ORAC units in a 3.5 ounce serving size. The antioxidant powers of chocolate are well-known, which is why more and more skin care companies are using this delicious substance in their anti-aging skin care products.

Due to chocolate’s antioxidant skin care benefits, it is able to help prevent the onset of premature signs of aging, such as fine lines, wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Dark chocolate, which is rich in flavonoids, may also be able to help protect collagen and prevent against UV damage. Finally, chocolate has shown the ability to moisturize, rejuvenate and exfoliate dead skin cells, thereby restoring a radiant and smooth quality to the complexion.

If you want to get your daily dose of antioxidants by eating dark chocolate, it is important that you choose a chocolate treat containing at least 50% cacao. Selecting a semisweet chocolate that is a minimum of 70% cocoa solids will provide you with 6,649 ORAC units per 1.5 ounces consumed. That’s more than twice as many ORAC units than the recommended 3,000! Unfortunately, milk chocolate lovers will lose out on the antioxidant supplement benefits, as research suggests that dairy products may inhibit the proper absorption of antioxidants.

Even if dark chocolate doesn’t float your boat, you can still get the antioxidant benefits and sweet aroma of chocolate by using chocolate-infused skin care treatments. To moisturize, comfort and revive, try Chocolate!, a moisturizer and lip treatment by Karin Herzog that also contains orange and avocado oils, or Chocolate Mousse Hydration Masque by Eminence, an all-natural, organic treatment mask that helps reduce visible signs of aging. For oily or acne-prone skin, Chocolate Mousse Primer by Colorescience will prepare your skin for flawless makeup application while controlling excess oil, hydrating without greasiness, protecting with an SPF of 20, and reducing redness, inflammation and fine lines.

source:flickr by:Werner Kunz (werkunz1)

Antioxidant Skin Care for the Smoker

Smoking is terrible for one’s health. Everyone knows it, though many choose to ignore this fact and continue smoking due to stress, habit, addiction, social pressure or simply the enjoyment of the cigarette itself. In addition to increased risk of heart attacks, stroke and cancer caused by smoking cigarettes, the skin is greatly compromised by each and every puff of smoke. In fact, cigarette smoke is one of the main causes of premature skin aging, second only to sun damage. How can a smoker help reduce these smoke-induced visible signs of aging? In addition to kicking the habit, smokers (and ex-smokers) should use an antioxidant-rich skin care regimen to help repair the damage left behind by cigarettes.

With each inhalation of cigarette smoke, more than a trillion free radicals are created in the lungs. These free radicals cause an inflammatory response that then travels through the body, leaving damage in its wake. Plus, the smoke contains over 4,000 toxins that enter into the bloodstream and circulate through the body, including the skin’s structure. When a cigarette is smoked, it causes constricting of the blood vessels in the upper layers of the skin, thereby reducing the quality of circulation and diminishing the amount of oxygen and nutrients delivered to the skin.

Each cigarette smoked destroys up to 35mg of vitamin C, an unstable antioxidant vitamin that cannot be produced by the body. Vitamin C is responsible for preserving the collagen within the skin. In addition to killing the vitamin C, cigarette smoke also destroys collagen itself. Collagen keeps the skin looking plump and smooth, both youthful, beautiful qualities. With the body’s vitamin C stores destroyed, the skin begins to thin, sag and wrinkle, leading to the condition known as “smoker’s face“. Cigarette smoke also destroys another antioxidants vitamin — vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential to the prevention of damage to the skin. With reduced vitamin A levels, the skin is more prone to external damage, again leading to premature signs of aging.

The term “smoker’s face” was added to the medical dictionary in 1985. Characteristics of this condition include deep lines and wrinkles, thin skin texture, gauntness of the features, and gray or yellow skin tone. Unsurprisingly, none of these terms have ever been synonymous with beauty. Thankfully, there are many antioxidant skin care products created to help reduce these signs of damage in order to re-create a healthy, youthful appearance.

Whether you quit smoking years ago, are trying to quit right now (congratulations!), or somehow still choose to smoke despite the numerous health risks, antioxidant products can help you reduce fine lines and wrinkles, improve collagen production and protect against future damage. One of the leading skin care products for smokers is UnDamage, a line specially developed for treating the signs of “smoker’s face”. Aside from UnDamage, any antioxidant foods or skin antioxidants will be beneficial in your quest for healthier, more beautiful and younger-looking skin.