Free radicals are unstable molecules that cause inflammation, disease, and biochemical aging in the body, especially the wrinkling and sagging of skin. Internal factors that contribute to free radicals include: stress, lifestyle, and negative attitudes, among others. External factors include sun damage, environmental pollutants, and air quality.
The good news is that you can have control over both many internal and external factors, by protecting yourself from the sun, healthy lifestyle practices (yoga, exercise, lots of water, etc), and positive thinking! Did you know that positive thinking can help decrease premature aging? Best of all, applying antioxidants directly to your skin can not only improve your mood, it can stabilize those crazy free radicals by turning them back into a harmless cell! Yay! :-)
Anxiety is a big health concern in the United States, as an estimated 40 million adults suffer from the most common mental illness in our country. Anxiety is now being connected to lowered total antioxidant levels in the body. It is estimated that only 1/3 of people who suffer from anxiety seek treatment. Enhance your skin health with a boost of antioxidants, and they may help ease the symptoms of anxiety disorders!
Let's talk about those antioxidants. They are your skin's best friend. They are derived from PLANTS. Vitamins A, C, E, and Beta Carotene all have the ability to work wonders inside our bodies, providing powerful antioxidants (absorbed through food or skin ingestion) that also function in tissue repair, collagen maintenance, immune protection, cell respiration, and blood circulation. Vitamins aid in healing, softening, and preventing diseases of the skin. Applying them externally onto the skin have proven benefits in achieving good skin health.
If you are looking for a product recommendation for sunburn, hyperpigmentation, scarring, or other damaging effects of free radicals including premature aging, here are a few of my 3 favorite antioxidant skincare products that come packed with useable plant power:
Island Moon Beauty Balm
Face Petals Secret Serum
A Midsummer Night Face Cream
I recently read that you should always end each day with a positive thought. No matter how hard things were today, tomorrow is always a fresh start. Here is a positive thought for you to put in your pocket until bedtime tonight....it's a vintage clip of Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live....I encourage you to repeat what he says to yourself tonight! I hope you enjoy :-)