Are Antioxidants Necessary in Cosmetics for Aging Skin?

A group of substances called antioxidants is of great interest to aesthetic medicine specialists in terms of whether it is advisable to take these substances as part of preparations or use them with cosmetics – because our body is able to produce its own antioxidants. Is there any benefit from antioxidants in cosmetics, and how do these substances work, considered estet-portal.com.

How antioxidants work in the body and what they do for the skin

Oxidation of fats, acids, hydrocarbons and other substances in the body occurs with the participation of oxygen, during the breakdown of intermediate products These reactions generate free radicals. These are compounds in which one electron is missing to complete the chain, and they tend to get the missing electron from any other cell in the body – activate the oxidative process. If the free radical manages to do this, then the internal balance in the damaged cell is disturbed, other substances begin to penetrate into it – often toxic, leading to cell death.

Free radicals are formed especially actively under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, as well as in adverse environmental conditions.

The task of antioxidants is to interact with the free radical and transfer it to an inactive state – even in a small amount, they can significantly slow down the rate of oxidative processes in tissues.

Studies have shown that the effectiveness of inhibition of the oxidative process increases with the mutual strengthening of antioxidants, synergism of their action, or in the presence of certain substances. Consider what substances can enhance the effect of antioxidants.

Some antioxidants and the results of their interaction

Let's consider endogenous and exogenous antioxidants.

endogenous antioxidants include alpha-lipoic acid, glutathione, coenzyme Q10.

Alpha-lipoic acid. Another name for it – thioctic, it is formed in the body in the process of oxidative decarboxylation of a-keto acids. Its main task in the body – participation in the regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and it is also able to attach hydrogen atoms and transfer acyl groups. Thioctic acid actively reacts with many substances, including free radicals, it is easily soluble in both water and fat, and therefore is able to be transported through cell membranes, deactivating free radicals not only outside the cells, but also inside them. The activity of thioctic acid is enhanced in the presence of vitamins C and E.

Glutathione. It is a tripeptide that is synthesized in the body from L-cysteine, glycine and L-glutamic acid. Its hydrophilic molecule easily attaches to any toxic hydrophobic molecules, which include free radicals, biotransforms them and removes them from the body.

Coenzyme Q10. Synthesized in the body from tyrosine and phenylalanine, its task in the body – electron transfer in the mitochondria of the cell and maintenance of oxidative phosphorylation reactions. It has a particularly strong effect in combination with vitamin E.

The most famous exogenous antioxidants:

vitamin E – protects fatty acids from destruction by free radicals;
vitamin C – an antioxidant with the widest spectrum of action, since it is involved in so many body processes, including regulating redox reactions; without it, substances from which the body produces endogenous antioxidants are not synthesized;
Selenium is the main component of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione pyroxidase, which protects the body from the accumulation of oxidative products, which can destroy cell membranes.

Endogenous antioxidants – bind reactive oxygen species, converting them into less aggressive radicals, and then decomposing them into water and oxygen. Exogenous antioxidants – take excess energy from aggressive molecules and inhibit the formation of new free radicals.

The effective work of antioxidants depends on their mutual reinforcement. In cosmetics, antioxidants work only in low concentrations, because if there are too many of them, they upset the balance of the skin, turning into pro-oxidants. The use of cosmetics with antioxidants is certainly justified if the skin suffers from increased UV radiation, stress, illness, smoking, as well as the manifestation of signs of aging, when the load on exogenous antioxidant systems increases greatly.