Antioxidant creams are one of the newest members of the anti-aging fight squad, however, can you really believe everything that's said about them?

The Deal with Antioxidants Antioxidants & your Skin

The aging process, UV radiation, smoking and pollution can all lead to the production of free radicals. Free radicals are produced when a molecule is missing one electron or when it has an odd number of electrons. This doesn't seem like a real problem until you realize that electrons exist in pairs and will steal electrons from other molecules to stabilize themselves.

This process starts off a chain reaction of events that will end up damaging and destroying molecules and, subsequently, cells. If enough cells are destroyed, the damage will start to show on your skin. This also means that your skin will gradually begin to deteriorate.

Antioxidants are substances that help deter this chain reaction by sacrificing one of their electrons. By doing so they help neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals and can slow down the aging process which in turn helps the skin repair itself.

Common Sources of Antioxidants

Some of the most common and popular antioxidants include Vitamins A, C and E. Vitamin A is found in red, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables. These foods include carrots, squash, tomatoes, peaches and apricots.

Vitamin C can be obtained from all kinds of citrus fruits. Big, leafy vegetables such as spinach and lettuce are a good source of Vitamin C, but so are strawberries and tomatoes.

Rich sources of Vitamin E are nuts, seeds, and whole grains. It can also be obtained from different oils and big, leafy vegetables.

Vitamin A is often used to help treat fine lines and pigmentation problems. Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant that can help reduce the appearance of age spots, while Vitamin E can help reduce inflammation.

Another antioxidant found in dark red fruits and all kinds of teas are flavonoids and polyphenols. You can obtain flavonoids from grapes, red wine, pomegranates and cranberries while green tea, black tea and red tea are a great source of polyphenols.

So when putting together your skin care routine keep in mind that a well rounded anti-aging routine includes a sound diet with plenty of antioxidant rich foods and some kind of antioxidant skin creams.