Oxidation and Free Radicals is the Reason Your Prematurely Ageing

Did you know thousands of airborne pollutants are lining up to mess with your skin?

Have you ever eaten an apple and found it turned brown?

This is precisely what might be happening to your skin.

That brown colour results from oxidation caused by pesky free radicals.

This process also takes place in your skin over decades rather than minutes.

This is why educating yourself on oxidation, free radicals and antioxidants is essential.

Because quite frankly, if the air around you isn’t conspiring to kill you.

At the very least, it could be causing your skin to look lined and haggard before its time.

So, What are Free Radicals?

These guys are oxygen molecules gone rogue; they are highly energetic and cause chaos in your skin cells.

But be warned, they dont rob your skin of its youthful glow overnight; they tend to be a little more insidious than that because they are reactive molecules created by damaging UV, cigarette smoke and more.

But here’s the twist: Free radicals don’t just mess with your DNA; they can also wreak havoc on your cell walls, affecting cellular reproduction. These cell walls contain lipids linked to specific proteins, lipoproteins that play a role in hormones, your body’s chemical messengers.

When free radicals damage lipoproteins, they send the wrong messages, causing a chain reaction of destruction within the cell and your skin.

Oxidation, what’s that then?

Free radicals love to attack, causing oxidative stress – they are the ultimate enemy of skin health. They rapidly age your skin and put you at risk of diseases because when your cell’s membrane gets disrupted, you could say the cell almost poisons itself.

Enzymes and vitamins end up in the wrong places, breaking down proteins and wreaking havoc on the cell’s nucleus. It’s like a plot from a sci-fi thriller, and the terrifying thing is that it’s happening right inside your body.

So, what can save the day?

If free radicals really are the key villains in the ageing process, is there anything that will come to the rescue and neutralise them?

This is where your superhero’s antioxidants come to the rescue; they are your trusty skin protector – the hero in this epic saga that fights against damaging free radicals, bringing balance back to your skin and body and reducing oxidation.

That is why we can’t stress the importance of a good skincare routine and a diet rich in antioxidants enough; they truly are your secret weapon in helping to maintain the integrity of your cells and keeping those villains at bay.

We talk about these heroes and their superpowers in greater detail in the article Antioxidants are your secret weapon against ageing.

To conclude. The naked truth

As of 2023, toxins are part and parcel of your environment: UV, drugs, pesticides, smoking, alcohol, stress and more.

All of these create damaging free radicals, which cause a cycle of destruction on healthy cells, collagen, and your DNA, contributing to inflammation, ageing and disease.

Fortunately, antioxidants swoop in and come to the rescue – an epic battle begins between the superhero antioxidants and free radicals that play out in your body and your skin daily.

It’s a reminder that your skin and overall health depend on a balanced diet and topical antioxidant-rich formulas that will help to protect your cells from damaging oxidative stress.

So be sure to stay on the side of the heroes, and your body and your skin will certainly thank you for it!