source: flickr by:HBarrison

Keeping track of all the latest antioxidant skin care ingredients can be tedious. Every year there’s a new antioxidant buzz word—promising to fight aging skin in a way the other one couldn’t. However, there’s one antioxidant that’s been on our radar for quite some time and has lived up to its hype: coffee berry.

Coffee berry has been touted as one of the most powerful antioxidants (http://thedermblog.com/2008/04/03/5-reasons-why-you-should-look-for-coffeeberry/)—and for good reason—it contains extremely high levels of polyphenols, the same antioxidant found in green tea. These polyphenols also help fight skin inflammation. Coffee berry extract also contains polyphenolic antioxidants that absorb damaging free radicals caused by ultraviolet light and environmental stressors that oxidize collagen causing wrinkles and other signs of sun damage.

A slew of companies now have products with coffee berry extract, but RevaleSkin was one of the first companies to start promoting coffee berry extract as an anti-aging treatment. The Night Cream (http://www.dermstore.com/product_Night+Cream_10800.htm) is one of their best selling products, but we actually prefer wearing it during the day! It contains 1% CoffeeBerry extract to treat wrinkles, sun damaged skin and improves texture while moisturizing. And while antioxidants like coffee berry may reduce some damage caused by UV-exposure, it isn’t’ a guarantee, so it is wise to use an SPF 15 or higher every day.  Remember, preventing sun damage is a lot easier than fixing it!

The natural antioxidants in our body decrease as we get older, so it’s best to eat foods rich in antioxidants, but almost every dermatologist will tell you it is important to wear a form of antioxidant topically to protect from UV damage and environmental stressors!

When it comes to antioxidant skin care, it’s easy to forget about the oft-ignored lip area! We may slather on lip balm, lipstick, or lip gloss, but rarely do our favorite lip makeup products contain the antioxidants necessary to protect the delicate skin of the lips.

The lip line is usually one of the first areas to exhibit visible signs of aging. This is because the lips, along with the eyes, have thinner and more delicate skin than the rest of the face and body. This delicate skin should receive even more protection than some of the more durable skin areas; however, the lips are too often left without the nutrients and free radical damage prevention they require.

If you want an easy, nourishing way to shield your lips against environmental damage, Antioxidant Lip Repair by SkinCeuticals is for you! Designed to moisturize and smooth the lips while healing and preventing damage, Antioxidant Lip Repair is the perfect way to keep the lip area looking youthful and feeling healthy. Vitamin E and silymarin, two potent antioxidants, keep the lips protected against sun, smoke, and pollution damage while botanicals and exfoliants improve the tone, texture, and suppleness of the lips.

SkinCeuticals is one of the top skin care lines due to their expert combination of advanced science and botanical ingredients. By combining the latest scientific technologies with the best plant extracts, SkinCeuticals is able to offer highly effective and healthful skin care products for home use. SkinCeuticals boasts a sterling reputation within the dermatologic community, a fact which leads many consumers to try the SkinCeuticals line over others.

Customer reviews state that Antioxidant Lip Repair offers immediate and lasting results, including instant line reduction and hydration. Users with chapped, peeling lips experienced improved smoothness and comfort, and more mature users raved about the product’s ability to diminish prevent fine lines. One customer even suggests using Antioxidant Lip Repair on other chapped areas, such as around the nostril area after a cold, or during the harsh winter months.

Overall, Antioxidant Lip Repair is a well-loved lip care product from an extremely reputable and luxurious antioxidant product skin care line. Pick one up today for yourself, or play Santa and add it to your loved one’s Christmas stocking!

source: flickr by:beatbull

Antioxidant Skin Care: Wine and Chocolate

By now, we’re all familiar with antioxidants. They’ve been on the buzzword list for quite some time, but unlike some buzzwords, antioxidants are here to stay. The benefits they can provide to our bodies and skin are proven, and more uses and benefits are currently being researched.

Antioxidants are able to neutralize free radicals, the “bad guys” responsible for visible signs of aging such as fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, hyperpigmentation and more. In addition, oxidative stress, which is countered by antioxidants, is thought to be a main contributor to many diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. Therefore, many believe that antioxidants could have positive effects on these and other diseases.

Some people feel as if antioxidants are simply another step in their daily dietary and skin care routines, as well as another weight on their pocketbook. Nothing could be further from the truth! If only everyone knew how easy (and sometimes fun) it was to get their daily allowance of antioxidants, everyone would be feeling and looking healthier and more youthful. The best antioxidant secret? Chocolate and wine!

Dark chocolate and red wine contain some of the highest levels of food antioxidants. Based on the ORAC unit scale (the scale by which antioxidant levels are determined), dark chocolate with a minimum of 70% cocoa solids contains up to 8,849 ORAC units per one and a half ounces consumed, while red wine contains 3,873-5,034 units for five ounces. With the daily ORAC unit recommendation set at a minimum of 3,000 units, it doesn’t seem too difficult to protect your body and skin from oxidative stress!

Many topical anti-aging skin care products contain chocolate or resveratrol, the powerful antioxidant in wine. These skin care product additions allow you to target visible signs of aging from the outside while your daily antioxidant diet combats both internal and external damage, fine lines, wrinkles and more. For the ultimate antioxidant treatment, choose an antioxidant-fortified face mask and let it work on your skin while you enjoy a rich, velvety piece of chocolate and a relaxing glass of red wine. Staying healthy and combating visible signs of aging never tasted so great!