Free radicals are responsible for damaging the skin. This damage is caused by the degradation of the collagen and the elastin in the skin, thereby reducing the skins ability to renew damaged cells.
Antioxidants help to fight off these free radicals and are naturally occurring substances that are not harmful to the skin. When applied directly to the skin antioxidants reduce the free radicals and some believe that they can actually reverse mild damage that has occurred over the years.
The vitamins A, C and E are the most popular antioxidants used in skin care products and these have shown in scientific tests to improve the condition of the skin and help prevent any additional damage from occurring.
One antioxidant that has gained a lot of respect for its properties in recent years is grape seed extract. Grape seed extract has specific properties that help to reduce inflammation of the skin. It has also shown to help strengthen the capillary walls and more skin care products are adding grape seed extract due to these positive effects on the skin.
Another natural product is green tea extract and this antioxidant is well worth mentioning here due to the active ingredient catechins. This ingredient of green tea has been shown in tests to reduce the size of pre-cancerous skin lesions.
Many of the best skin care creams have some form of antioxidants in their ingredients, as the manufacturers are aware of the benefits of including them for their customers.
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