Research shows that antioxidants are crucial for maintaining skin health. Just like your body needs a variety of nutrients in your diet, your skin needs beneficial ingredients to stay healthy. As the largest organ of your body, your skin requires nourishment with antioxidants to combat the effects of aging, calm skin, reveal a more youthful appearance, and revitalize dull skin caused by pollutants and UV exposure. Antioxidants help fight oxidative stress and inflammation that can harm your skin.
Research shows that antioxidants are crucial for maintaining skin health. Just like your body needs a variety of nutrients in your diet, your skin needs beneficial ingredients to stay healthy. As the largest organ of your body, your skin requires nourishment with antioxidants to combat the effects of aging, calm skin, reveal a more youthful appearance, and revitalize dull skin caused by pollutants and UV exposure. Antioxidants help fight oxidative stress and inflammation that can harm your skin.
Oxidative Stress
An imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body can lead to oxidative stress. Free radicals are produced by cells during normal metabolic processes in the mitochondria, generating carbon dioxide, water, and energy in the form of ATP. These highly reactive byproducts, such as superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, have unpaired electrons. Antioxidants produced by cells help neutralize these free radicals to maintain a balance.
Factors like diet, stress, and environmental toxins (UV radiation, pollution, smoke, and pesticides) can contribute to oxidative stress and increased production of free radicals. The body's immune response to infection or injury can also temporarily trigger oxidative stress, leading to mild inflammation that typically decreases once the infection is resolved or the injury heals. Prolonged oxidative stress can accelerate aging and increase the risk of chronic conditions and inflammation.
The impact of oxidative stress varies, and it's not always detrimental. For instance, the oxidative stress induced by physical activity, which can actually have positive regulatory effects on the body. When we exercise, there's an increase in the formation of free radicals, temporarily subjecting muscles to oxidative stress. These free radicals serve a purpose—they help regulate tissue growth and promote the production of antioxidants.
Chronic Inflammation
Prolonged exposure to oxidative stress can harm cells, proteins, and DNA, contributing to aging and potentially fostering various conditions like chronic inflammation. Consider how infections and injuries prompt the immune system into action. Macrophages, specialized immune cells, generate free radicals as they combat invading microorganisms. While this defense mechanism is crucial, it can inadvertently harm healthy cells, triggering inflammation. Normally, inflammation subsides once the infection is cleared or the tissue is repaired. However, oxidative stress can perpetuate this cycle by instigating further inflammation, creating a detrimental loop of chronic inflammation.
This chronic inflammation, driven by oxidative stress, may precipitate conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis. In the realm of skincare, unchecked inflammation and oxidative stress can lead to damage of healthy skin cells, resulting in severe scarring in cases like acne. Additionally, persistent inflammation in the skin can accelerate the aging process.
E.Q. - EGCG and Quercetin Powerful Antioxidants
Fresh berries and other fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which are compounds that neutralize or eliminate free radicals by donating an electron to counteract their effects. This neutralizing action helps shield the body from oxidative stress. Among these antioxidants, quercetin is commonly found in various fruits and vegetables and is known for its potent properties. Another powerful antioxidant, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), is abundant in green tea. However, due to their low solubility, orally dosing these antioxidants can be challenging, resulting in only a fraction being absorbed, often insufficient to impact skin conditions. To address this solubility issue, we developed Transdermal Flavosomes (XDFtm), a groundbreaking technology that allows for the effective delivery of these antioxidants to the skin, targeting reactive oxygenated species responsible for severe inflammation.
In collaboration with researchers at Baylor University, we investigated the effects of oxidative stress on normal skin cells, specifically human dermal fibroblasts. Through our experiments, we observed a significant increase in Reactive Light Units (RLU), a standard measure obtained from luminometer-based ATP testing, reflecting the intensity of the reaction—stress! The transition from normal to stressed cells, indicated by the shift from blue to red bars in the figure, underscores the impact of oxidative stress on cellular function.
The figure also highlights the efficacy of XDF, containing EGCG and quercetin, in mitigating the effects of oxidative stress on skin cells. When exposed to oxidative stress followed by XDF application, the skin cells returned to a state comparable to unstressed cells (dark green bar). Similarly, when XDF was applied preemptively, followed by oxidative stress induction, no significant change was observed, with the cells maintaining a state resembling unstressed cells (light green bar).
These findings underscore the potent antioxidant effects of quercetin and EGCG delivered through XDF in combating oxidative stress in cells. Our E.Q. Clear Skin Collection harnesses this innovative technology to deliver EGCG and quercetin, offering a solution to counter the harmful effects of oxidative stress. The clinical benefits we observed in acne patients further validate the efficacy of our approach.
Research indicates that antioxidants not only address signs of aging but also help prevent sun damage, facilitate skin repair, and enhance skin tone. Experience the benefits of these powerful antioxidants by trying the E.Q. Clear Skin Collection!
