FREE RADICALS, ANTIOXIDANTS AND THEIR ROLE IN SKIN HEALTH

Today Marta Marcè talks to us about free radicals, we hope you like this new article!

Some typical skin signs such as Spots, wrinkles or premature aging can be caused by oxidation of the skin. The skin is one of the organs most affected by free radicals. Its direct contact with the Sun and air, in addition to its lipid nature, make it much more sensitive to oxidation. In today's post I would like to share with you what free radicals are , how antioxidants work and how to prevent oxidation naturally through your lifestyle and diet.

Free radicals are molecules where an electron in their last orbit has become unpaired, which causes these molecules to be highly unstable and react with other molecules to “steal” an electron from them, also causing the same instability.

They can react with cells, tissues, DNA or other organic structures, causing what we call oxidation or oxidative cascade . Oxidation occurs within us naturally by processes as common as the action of the immune system, the generation of ATP or energy, or the elimination of toxins by our liver and also by external causes such as sunbathing, pollution, tobacco or foods with a high content of free radicals (such as processed foods, those that have been subjected to high temperatures, hydrogenated, etc.).

What is also very important to keep in mind is that our body is perfectly designed to eliminate excess free radicals and stop oxidative cascades.

The problem is when we have many more free radicals than the antioxidant capacity of our system and that is when we can suffer oxidative damage. That is to say, the first and most important step will be to stop this entry of excess free radicals by protecting ourselves from pollution, excessive solar radiation, choosing natural and lightly processed foods and avoiding tobacco and alcohol.

In the next post I will share with you what antioxidants are, super-molecules that help stop the action of free radicals, which ones are the most interesting and how to take them as a supplement or diet.