Ever wonder why you are subconsciously so protective of your skin? Skin is your body’s largest organ and the most visible. Its major role is primarily protective, alongside the equally significant roles of temperature regulation and sensation. It is basically the first line of defense in protecting your body and internal organs from external harm. This includes physical harm, noxious chemicals, and bacteria that may be toxic to the body's organs.

Interestingly, this very organ tasked with spearheading the crucial protective role, equally needs proper protection and care, especially against external harms such as environmental pollution, UV rays, and industrial solvents, which can damage and compromise its structural and aesthetic integrity.

So the pressing question is how can your skin, being the outermost barrier of your body, consistently fulfill this huge demand for protection, given its vulnerability? 

Where antioxidants come in

This group of nutrients is your skin's best friend, and should not be lacking in any of your skincare regimens. They are the focal point of your skin protection mechanisms and work mainly to counteract the damaging effects of a rampant condition known as oxidative stress. The most common antioxidants with regard to skincare are vitamin A, B3 (Niacinamide), C and E, Resveratrol, Lutein, and Green Tea. 

If you’re still wondering how these antioxidants help protect your skin from external harm, we got your back! Welcome aboard and read on as we dig deep into the specific hazards and conditions that your skin will be protected from. We shall clarify them for you, for your skin’s sake.

You can count on antioxidants to deliver the needed skincare magic, due to their protective features, expounded below:

They eliminate free radicals

Presumably, your skin interacts with more foreign substances than any other part of your body. They react with readily available oxygen to produce toxic compounds known as free radicals. These free radicals should be eliminated from the skin through its physiological detoxification process. However, if this fails to happen and the body’s regulation capacity is overwhelmed, oxidative stress ensues. 

Antioxidants eliminate free radicals by impairing the oxidative process involved in forming them. This intervention shields you from their harmful effects, which include:

• Destruction of collagen
• Damage to DNA
• Skin cell damage

They Neutralize The Effects Of UV Rays

Generally, UV rays are one of your skin’s most dangerous enemies. Once you find a way to mitigate their effects, you have technically solved the bulk of your skin issues, since the majority of them stem from sun damage. While the skin interacts with numerous foreign substances to generate free radicals, UV rays are their greatest trigger. These rays are divided into two types, each causing different kinds of damage:

• UVA rays are associated with aging disorders
• UVB rays are associated with sunburn

The beauty of antioxidants is that they counter both effects, so they basically offer an all-inclusive remedy. 

They protect your skin from photo-aging.

Spotted some wrinkles or uneven skin texture on parts of your face or hands? If yes, and you are still young (below the age of 50), then you may be a victim of photo-aging. This premature photo-induced aging of the skin is caused by depleted collagen, which is the secret sauce to you looking young and youthful.

Its intensity is determined by the level of skin exposure to UV rays, and the amount of melanin in your skin. The specific antioxidants that protect against photoaging and boost collagen production are:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Ascorbic acid

They intervene to prevent sunburns

Sunburns are directly tied to UV (specifically UVB) rays. They are quite hazardous, and not only make you look awful and old, but are also linked to skin cancer and a deficient immune system. These are basically symptoms of oxidative stress caused by free radicals, triggered by UV rays. 

Fortunately, with sufficient levels of antioxidants in your body, unstable free radicals can be stabilized and their harmful effects eliminated. This ensures that the dreaded skincare dragon of sunburn is slain.

They Prevent Inflammation by Curing Oxidative Stress

If your skin has constant pimples or other forms of inflammation, chances are you suffer from an antioxidant deficiency. In addition to their already long list of harmful effects, free radicals also stimulate the skin’s inflammatory pathways, leading to various forms of inflammation.

By curing oxidative stress with antioxidants, skin tissues are protected.However, free radicals are more of an exacerbating factor than a primary cause of skin inflammation, so while antioxidants may not be the first-choice remedy, they greatly boost the body’s ability to counter inflammation.

They protect your skin from acne.

Acne is an unpleasant skin disorder characterized by inflammatory wounds to the skin. The annoying part is that it leaves a trail of dark or reddish spots and scars even after healing. Normal acne-prone skin secretes excessive oils and reacts to stress with an uneven distribution of melanin. The antioxidants needed to heal acne, and their mechanisms of action, are:

• Vitamin E enhances immunity and the skin’s capacity to heal
• Vitamin B curtails the inflammatory markers
• Green tea contains calming antioxidants that reduce excessive oil production in the skin.

They combine to counter hyperpigmentation

Those dark patches of excess and uneven melanin on the skin are not pleasant at all. The magical antioxidant combination of Kojic acid, Vitamins C and E works well to protect your skin from hyperpigmentation.

• Vitamin C boosts collagen and also interrupts the pathways leading to melanin production, decreasing pigment in the skin.
• Vitamin E shields the skin from UVR effects by scavenging loose electrons and stabilizing harmful free radicals.
• Kojic acid acts by blocking the enzyme tyrosinase used in the pathway to pigment production, decreasing the visibility of dark spots.

Final thoughts

Now you know! Being the first line of defense of the body, your skin is one of the most valuable, yet vulnerable organs, especially to external harm. Be that as it may, you have a very effective remedy in antioxidants.

From scavenging and eliminating Free Radicals to neutralizing oxidative stress, no skincare strategy would be complete without Antioxidants. In dealing with external harm, they are like mighty warriors who will fight over and beyond to ensure the safety of your skin. In a nutshell, they are indispensable members of your skincare routine!