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Free Radicals: Your Skin's Enemy
by: Kamau Austin
Our skin is the largest organ on our
bodies and beauty begins with the skin. Lots of people equate
the look of radiance with beautiful, glowing skin. You need to
be healthy inside and out in order for your skin to reflect that
healthy radiance.
For some people, beautiful skin is a gift that is bestowed upon
us through our genes, while others need to work at obtaining and
maintaining beautiful skin.
Whichever group you fall into, if you want to look your best,
you will need to devote part of your beauty routine to your
skin.
When choosing beauty procucts, be careful to select products
that are kind to your skin.
Some cosmetics may actually leave your skin dull and dry looking
when we take them off at night.
Some of the damage that happens to our faces and skin is as a
result of free-radicals.
Free radicals are compounds that are highly reactive. They are
found in our body primarily in two ways: (1) either they are
created in the body over the course of normal metabolic
functions; or (2) they are introduced from the environment.
By nature, free radicas are unstable since they contain "extra"
energy. To lessen the burden of this extra energy, free radicals
react with certain chemicals in the body. During this process,
free-radicals interfere with normal cell function and attack
normal, healthy cells.
Without going into too much detail about the science behind it,
we all know that the human body is made up of varied types of
cells, which, in turn, are composed of molecules. These
molecules consist of atoms of single or multiple elements. All
of these are held together by chemical bonds. The chain reaction
caused by free radicals helps decompose many substances,
especially at high temperatures, but this is not necessarily a
great situation for our bodies. These reactions can cause damage
to our skin.
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Detrimental effects of free radicals
So what type of damage can we expect from free radicas? Our
cell membranes are made of unsaturated lipids. These lipids are
highly susceptible to the damaging nature of free radicals. Free
radicals are known to cause oxidative damage, which can lead to
a hardening of our lipid cell membranes. Once the lipids harden,
the cells will not be able to properly acquire nutrients.
Hardened cells have difficulty communicating with other cells
and the body suffers. Most cellular activities will also be
handicapped, and free radicals can cause major damages to
biological molecules such as DNA, RNA, enzymes, and
mitochondria.
This damage has been linked to cancer, premature aging,
Parkinson's disease, arteriosclerosis, emphysema, schizophrenia,
Alzheimer's diease, and many other illnesses.
Even though free radicals are essential in many functions of our
bodies, if they become excessive, then the damage can quickly
spiral out of control. As we age, the damages caused by free-radicals are more conspicuously felt.
How do we combat free radical damage? The most effective and
proven form of protection against free radical damage are
antioxidants. Many types of antioxidant enzymes, like super
oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, are
produced in our bodies. These are nature's weapons for fighting
free radicals. Oral supplements of these enzymes are available
and may help at times when our bodies are not producing as much
as we may need.
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You can also help to strengthen your body by
eating a balanced diet that includes nutrients like manganese, zinc, copper,
and selenium. Your diet should also include vitamins C, E, and B2 and
minerals like beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. Vitamiin E prevents heart
disease by acting against oxidation and plaque formation. Vitamin C helps
protect you from cancers of the mouth, esophagus, and larynx.
Herbs like curcumin, gingko, and bilberry are also powerful weapons in the
fight against free radicals. Some health experts feel these herbs are like
scavengers, searching out free radicals in the body and preventing damage to
cells and tissues. It is important to take these herbal supplements in the
correct amount. Recently topical treatments have also been developed that
help combat the external affects of these free radicals.
As you age, facial and skin problems can increase in part related to free-radicals. Skin discolorations like age spots, sun spots, and freckles can
become increasing unsightly. But these problems don’t mean you have to look
less than your best.
The makers of a new product called Lumnaderm(tm), a topical skin cream,
developed it to help reduce the appearance of damage caused by free
radicals. Lumnaderm(tm) is cited as a product you may want to give serious
consideration in helping you restore your radiant skin and smooth out
wrinkles. This procuct is available from fine online retailers like Amazon.com and the BODeStore.com (http://www.bodestore.com).
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