Antioxidant Skin Care: Alpha Lipoic Acid
source:flickr by:prawnpie
Antioxidant Ingredient Close-up: Alpha Lipoic Acid
Alpha lipoic acid is a favorite antioxidant ingredient of most skin care-aware people. It’s naturally produced by the human body, and also found in other natural sources, such as foods. Alpha lipoic acid is used in many anti-aging skin care products, due to its purported ability to reduce wrinkles.
The prominent clinical and research dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone has performed a number of studies on the effects of alpha lipoic acid in skin care products. In one study, alpha lipoic acid was able to reduce mild to moderate wrinkles by up to 50 percent, while virtually eliminating fine lines. In another study, alpha lipoic acid showed similar efficacy when used topically on scars. However, some have disputed the findings due to the fact that each of these studies were performed by Dr. Perricone, who formulates his own line of anti aging products which features the ingredient in question.
In addition to alpha lipoic acid’s anti-aging capabilities, it also offers a wide range of other skin care and health benefits, including:
- Cellular energy production
- The inhibition of cross-linking, a pro-aging process
- Anti-inflammatory actions
- The neutralization and removal of toxic metals
- Improvement to neurological complications of diabetes, arterial sclerosis and more (when taken internally)
Alpha lipoic acid is a widely available, relatively inexpensive ingredient. However, it’s often used in conjunction with more expensive antioxidants and anti aging skin care ingredients, making the product more costly than a pure alpha lipoic acid formulation. Results caused by alpha lipoic acid products are usually seen after 8-12 weeks of use, depending on the concentration of the active ingredients.
Although almost all of the information we have on alpha lipoic acid use in anti aging skin care products is provided by Dr. Nicholas Perricone, who may have a specific interest in the success of this ingredient, it is next to impossible that he fabricated the results for his own gain. Therefore, the results of Dr. Perricone’s studies stand on their own; alpha lipoic acid is an extremely effective anti-aging skin antioxidant.