Antioxidants, the Key to Repair Sun Damage!
Summer is nearly over. While you may have a lovely tan, your skin may also feel dry, rough, with uneven color if you were in the sun without adequate protection. It is now time to start a nurturing skin regime that replenishes your antioxidants and helps to repair sun damage.
Why antioxidants? Ever see a peeled apple turn brown when it is exposed to the air? Fish left out too long? Or even a cut on your finger? Oxygen interacts with cells of any type—the apple slice, the fish, or the cut on your skin. With oxidation comes a change in the cell. The cells may die as a result of altered oxygen molecules that become unstable “free radicals.”
Free radicals can also result from external factors like pesticides, smoking, air pollution, alcohol consumption, and too much direct sun light. The impact of these free radicals in our bodies includes premature aging and increased risk for disease.
The best defense to guard cells against free radicals is a diet rich in antioxidants, like dark skinned fruits and vegetables – blueberries, cherries, kale, and broccoli, for example – and other nutrient-dense super foods like walnuts and brazil nuts. Some vitamin supplements may also be a source for antioxidants—if they are high quality and well balanced so the nutrients can be easily absorbed by the body in appropriate amounts.
For external repair against free radical damage, choose skin care products that contain antioxidants like vitamin C or vitamin E. Our Esana Signature Line, includes products (such as Eyedrate, Protect-Tint, and Enhance) with antioxidants vitamin C and E to help your skin repair itself. Esana’s Enhance, for example, is great for sun-damaged skin. A vitamin C compound that also includes vitamin E and green tea extract, this gel has the ability to both stimulate collagen production and brighten the skin by inhibiting the development of age spots.
When you’ve enjoyed the sun too much, make antioxidants a permanent part of your defense!
