WHAT IS FREE RADICAL DAMAGE?

Free radicals are atoms or molecules with an unpaired electron in its outermost shell and can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules (called oxidization). Because these atoms or molecules want to be stable by pairing that electron, free radicals attack the nearest stable molecule, "stealing" its electron. When the "attacked" molecule loses its electron, it becomes a free radical itself, beginning a chain reaction. Once the process is started, it can cascade, resulting in the destruction of skin cells and important skin molecules.

Pollution, UV rays, carbon monoxide and synthetic chemicals all contribute free radicals to our skin. Free radical damage also accumulates with age.

What does Free Radical Damage do?

Free radicals will attack a variety of molecules including the DNA, lipids and proteins in our skin. This damages the structure of cell membranes, making cells function poorly or even die off. If, for example, a free radical steals an electron from one of the proteins that is contained in a strand of collagen, it causes a change in the chemical structure of the collagen at that point and causes a break in the collagen strand. This damages the collagen and it becomes dysfunctional and loses its elastic quality. Free radical damage is what causes the breakdown of elasticity and volume in the skin as we age, resulting in sagging skin, wrinkling and loss of volume.

How Can You Stop Free Radical Damage?

Antioxidants are chemicals that are able to donate an electron to a free radical, stabilizing the free radical and stopping the chain of chemical reactions and potential damage. Antioxidants are able to donate the missing electron to a free radical without the antioxidant becoming a free radical itself. In this manner, antioxidants prevent free radical damage and slow the aging process.

Chronic Inflammation

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO SKIN AGING

Free radical damage and chronic inflammation are the leading causes of skin aging.

Inflammation is an essential part of the body's healing process and occurs at the cellular level when the immune system tries to fight off disease-causing germs and repair injured tissue.

When the fight is over, the inflammation-triggering substances are supposed to retreat, but in many cases they don't. This chronic inflammation has been implicated in accelerating fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores, as well as puffiness, sagging, blotchiness or reddening of the skin.

Many factors can contribute to chronic inflammation such as environmental pollutants, poor diet and synthetic chemicals in skin care products. It is important to counteract the effects of these factors with naturally occurring anti inflammatories both internally and externally.

Anti inflammatory ingredients in skincare can reduce the signs of skin aging as well as protect against skin disease such as cancer.