Sunlight, particularly extended contact with the sun's rays, can cause untold damage to your skin in all four seasons. You may not be as aware of the sun during winter, spring, and fall, as in summer, but you still need to protect your skin from sunburn and damage during those cooler months.
When summer hits, you may have to really put those antioxidants to work for you. As sunburn can cause extreme dehydration on top of regular seasonal issues, it is important to stay on top of your daily skincare routine. Even carrying an antioxidant-rich in your handbag for a quick burst of moisture can make an enormous difference to the health of your skin.
Vitamin E (tocopherol) is an antioxidant that is present in the skin and found in various foods, such as vegetables, seeds, and meat. It helps the skin look younger by boosting collagen production and, in turn, reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots.
Green tea has become one of the new age food heroes - a helpful ally in preventing everything from heart disease and cancer to skin aging and weight gain. The full range of health benefits may take decades to define, but research on its impact on human skin is reasonably well developed.
The secret ingredients are chemicals called catechins, which are antioxidants that can clear cell damage on the skin and repair wrinkles, blemishes or other impurities. When applied to the skin, green tea can reduce sun damage by reducing inflammation and tackling free radicals . (It doesn't block UV rays.) When choosing a tea, it's helpful to know that green tea has over five times the amount of catechins as black tea.
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is an essential nutrient that can only come from the healthy fruits and vegetables that contain it. Vitamin C is usually touted for its cold-fighting power, but it's also under study for its impact on preventing and reversing aging skin.
It works in two ways: as an antioxidant, as well as a booster of collagen formation - both of which are important to preserving and maintaining skin's youthful appearance. However, boosting your intake of vitamin C-rich foods does not appear to impact your skin to any measurable degree, so cosmetic companies are hard at work to study whether it can be absorbed through the skin directly via topical creams and lotions.
