Sun Damage, Anti-Oxidants And Resveratrol
The sun causes 80% of the damage to the skin: this I learned in esthetician school and it was further documented with four sets of pictures. The first picture was of the face (a cheek), of a 2-year old, 42-year old, 70-year old, and an 80 year old.
Naturally, the 2-year old had smooth, beautiful skin; the 42-year old had wrinkles and early stages of brown spots; and the 80-year old had the most wrinkles, giving the appearance of leathery, damaged skin. The second set of pictures was of the corresponding buttocks: all four pictures showed they had beautiful, unwrinkled skin! Don’t believe me? Compare the skin on your face to the skin on your behind and see just how no sun exposure keeps your skin beautiful.
The human body as a whole is a brilliant machine – it fixes itself! Old cells wear out, die off and are remade. Wounds and injuries heal themselves. Your skin in young adulthood (20s to 40s) renews itself every 28 to 30 days. However, in middle age, that process slows down to every 48 to 60 days. Can you believe that?
Every few months you get a brand new skin - another chance to do things right and have healthy beautiful skin. However, if you continue to assault your skin with unprotected sun exposure, poor nutrition, lack of sleep, drugs, alcohol, smoking and stress, your normal healthy cells will begin to mutate and reproduce in a mutated form. This is what appears as skin damage that we classify as brown spots, cancers, wrinkles, dilated blood vessels, red spots, leathery texture, etc.
The other fact about our skin and body, in general, is that our very lives depend upon receiving oxygen, but by receiving that oxygen, it is slowly killing our cells through the process of oxidation and liberation of free radicals. While oxygen allows us to live, it is, at the same time, aging our cells by oxidization; much like a piece of metal rusts.
Free radicals are classified as unstable or “wild” molecules, usually oxygen-based, that have lost an electron. They are formed as a normal part of body metabolism, but poor lifestyle habits (smoking, drinking, extreme stress, being overweight, etc.), increase the formation and release of free radicals.
These free radicals are unbalanced by the loss of an electron (a negative charge) and are now “charged” atoms. In an effort to return to balance and achieve a stable, neutral state, they actively search for an electron to rebalance them. They do this by stealing an electron from another molecule (“Stealing” an electron from other cell membranes is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this). Naturally, when an electron is stolen, more free radicals are formed because they are now missing an electron.
The presence of free radicals along the cell membrane damages the cell’s ability to function properly. If the membrane is compromised, harmful substances may enter the cell and can react with the DNA in the cell nucleus causing permanent damage to the cell and all subsequent cell formations. This brings us back to the formation of mutant cells and skin damage.
So, how can one break the free radical, electron “stealing” cycle? Anti-oxidants. It is the presence of anti-oxidants in our diets that has kept us alive during this process. The body has some ability to form anti-oxidants to help combat the free radical damage, but it can only rebuild itself so fast. If the damage is occurring at a faster rate than repair, damage is going to win out. Anti-oxidants applied to the skin or taken orally in food or as supplements, work by neutralizing free radicals.
They furnish electrons to stabilize the free radical or they can work by changing the form of the free radical. Foods rich in vitamin C, E and A are good natural sources of antioxidants; many antioxidants are now marketed as oral supplements. Among them, grape seed extract and Japanese green tea extract are powerful antioxidants.
By adding some daily form of antioxidant to your diet and directly applying it to your skin, it will help prevent further damage to your body and to your skin. Aging cannot be prevented, and we begin that process from birth, but the signs of aging can be controlled, to a certain degree, by protection from the sun and use of antioxidants.
Speaking of anti-aging, much research is going on into a molecule found in red wine – Resveratrol 2. Resveratrol has been found to extend lifespan in laboratory animal models, which has made it very interesting to scientists as a potential anti-aging product. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that taking modest doses of Resveratrol (100 - 200mg) may help the body metabolize fat better.
If you are interested in learning more, search for information regarding Resveratrol online. It seems right now, however, that with Resveratrol supplements one could slow down hjs or her own rate of aging.
It’s never too late to start taking better care of yourself and your skin. It may be too late to reverse 50 years of sun damage, but most skin will respond favorably to specialized treatments. You can actually look younger with my skills as an esthetician and with a good home care regimen on your part.
Karen Kunhart, R.N., B.S., Licensed Esthetician: Bella Sante’ Skin Care Center. LET ME HELP YOU LOVE THE SKIN YOU’RE IN
- Peter T. Pugliese, M.D. “Resveratrol: A Real Anti-aging Product”, SKIN INC. December 2008.