Taking the Mystery Out of Free Radicals
Antioxidants, and free radicals. You see them mentioned all the time when you’re reading informational literature about some of today’s best skin care products. But just what are they and how does each one function to either harm or help you when they find their way down into your lower skin layers?
There’s just no doubt about it but that the name “free radicals” doesn’t sound like something that anyone would want under their skin. Just the same though, don’t we all need oxygen? So then what about antioxidants then? Now they sound like something that “eliminates” oxygen from our system, and don’t we breath in oxygen to live?
The answer to that is yes! We do breath in oxygen, and when we do it it connects up to red blood cells. However, when there’s “free” oxygen molecules floating around in your system and in our skin, that aren’t attached to red blood cells, then you have problems. In fact those are what are called free radicals.
You can do a quick test with an avocado to see for yourself how free oxygen degrades living tissues. Simply cut an avocado in half and set it out on your kitchen counter for a couple of hours, or so. Now after you return to look at it what you’ll find is that the surface has been oxidized, and is dull gray. It’s the same with your skin.
Oxygen’s molecular makeup you see, makes it very “reactive”. It’s a molecule that’s like a microscopic magnet. Always trying to connect up with another molecule to form an oxide. It forms strong bonds too which is why oxides like rust are so hard to dissolve away, or break down. Once an oxygen molecule attaches to a molecule in a living skin cell, that cell is doomed.
Now don’t panic though because there are substances called antioxidants that are attracted to and bond readily to free radicals and one of them is vitamin C. Sound familiar? As a matter of fact this is why if you rub vitamin C rich lime juice on that avocado half prior to leaving it out, the vitamin C will protect it, and prevent it from turning gray.
One of the secrets to the effectiveness of vitamin C and so many of the other powerful antioxidants that you can apply to your skin today, is that they have low molecular weights. In simple terms this means that they’re incredibly small molecules and because they are small, they more readily bypass your top epidermal skin layer.
Learn more about SkinCeuticals on Sale. Stop by Gary Woods’s site where you can find out all about CE Ferulic and what it can do for you.
