We have heard all our life, "eat your fruits and vegetables"…well, maybe our parents were smarter than we ever thought. Fruits and vegetables naturally contain numerous vitamins and minerals that help keep us healthy and supply us with antioxidants, a major weapon against oxidation. Think of the iron nail exposed to moisture. Oxidation occurs because the iron has been oxidized and rust is the reactive result, eroding the metal.  Likewise, free radicals damage our cells and tissue through oxidation, altering the DNA resulting in pre-mature aging, illness and disease.

Your skin is the largest organ in your body with a built-in vascular system and it works as a first defense to protect underlying vessels, tissue, muscle and bone. You skin is also a pathway to bring nutrients, and is an outlet for waste and toxins via skin pores. Skin shows evidence of what is going on beneath. Free radicals destroy collagen and elastin, and the damage begins at the dermal level of skin, the layer below the epidermis. Free radical damage is evidenced by fine wrinkles, age spots and serious skin conditions such as melanoma. Since your skin is your first line of defense, we must make sure it is equipped to handle the attacks faced from within but also from the attacks of the environment such as pollution, smoking, and the #1 culprit - UVA rays from the sunlight.

Antioxidants are the good guys, the soldiers that work to slow the process of aging by preventing free radicals from attacking certain cells, and they even help to prevent the formation of free radicals. We need antioxidants working on "our side" to help protect our skin and to prevent signs of aging.

Ok, so where do we find these essential soldiers, these antioxidants? Foods such as beans, berries, tealeaves, and nuts are high in Vitamins A, C and E and beta-carotene – all known antioxidants. Since we probably do not consume the necessary amounts of antioxidants, we must also add another layer of armor through topical application to win the battle against damage and pre-mature aging. Topical application of Vitamin C and E is of no benefit unless it penetrates to the dermal layer, since that is where skins' damage starts. Products that claim the contents of these precious vitamins are abundant, but few have the scientific studies to back them up.Most do not have the delivery system to penetrate all the way through to the dermis.C+Ewith Ferulic acid and alsoPhloretinwith CF(bySkinCeuticals)are serums that actually deliver the powerful antioxidants to the dermal level with visible results.

The damage from free radicals begins on the inside, therefore the battle must be fought from the inside. Before you invest in products that claim they contain antioxidants, go a step further to see the data that supports their claims. We are a vain society, and none of us wants to look our age, do we? Those youthful years of  laying out in the sun using baby oil tainted with iodine have come back to haunt me! Why not prevent and also correct the effects of aging while equipping our skin with the very best protection.