Free Radicals Role
in Skin Aging and Cell Damage

Part of skin aging is due to the activities of free radicals. What are free radicals? What role do they play in this process? Can cell damage be stopped?

The words 'free radicals' and 'skin damage' are linked together when skin aging is discussed. But what role does free radicals play in our skin aging?

Before we can discuss how free radicals cause our skin to age, we first have to know what free radicals are.

• Stable molecules are made up of a nucleus and paired electrons spinning around the nucleus – much like our sun has the earth spinning around it.
• Some molecules have only one electron spinning around its nucleus making them unstable. This unstable molecule is now becomes a free radical.
  • In order to stablize itself, this molecule steals an electron from a second molecule which now becomes unstable and is now a free radical. This process go on over and over again.

• Now for the amazing part. These free radicals have a life span of one-millionth of a second.

• Free radicals cause damage to healthy cells which leads to internal aging,(something which we usually cann't see), as well as visible signs of external aging.
• The Free-radical Theory of Aging explains that our skin ages because our cells accumulate free radical damage over time.
• Free radicals are very potent toxins that cause damage to our skin by attacking the cell's DNA making healthy cells die prematurely.
• Scientific research has shown that cell are susceptible to free radical damage from both internal causes and external causes.
  Internal causes:
  • Free radicals are the by-products of energy producted by the cell's mitochondria.
  • The activities of free radicals often cause a fault in the repair process in the DNA.

  External causes:

  • The skin is under attack of free radicals due to UVA and UVB rays from the sun, pollution, stress, and smoking.
  • The parts of our cells damaged by free radicals are DNA, lipids, and proteins that makeup the cellular structures in our bodies. This slow down the production of collagen and elastin.

• This slowing down happens beneath our skin so gradually that we may not even be aware of happenings but over time the signs becomes visible to us. What a shock, when in our late 20's or 30's we see our first wrinkle.

Antioxidants work to prevent cell damage by nutralizing free radicals. Our our natural antioxidant defense system works well when we are young but as we age this system becomes less efficient.

As free radical damage increases so does the damaged to our cells and we begin to see the symptoms of aging.

Some feel that antioxidants such as Vitamins A. C. and E will slow the process of aging by stopping free radicals from oxidizing molecules that is reducing the formation of free radicals.

Foods such as vegetables and fruits which are high in antioxidant chemicals are said to be beneficial.

Since smoking causes so much damage to the skin, it would be helpful to quit smoking.

Recent scientific research has shown that are other ways to combat the aging process. Gels, creams and other anti aging products have been developed.

Cell damage leads to skin aging as much as does sun or environmental damage. That explains why, even though some people take good care of their skin, they still age faster than others. Having healthy. beautiful, youthful skin involves more than using sun protective procedure.

Beauty does come from the inside out and outside in.

Top of page

For More Information About Skin Aging Visit

What Causes Skin Aging? The Source of Aging
Reverse Skin Aging
Aging Skin and Skin Health – The Connection Between the Two
Eye Lift – Nonsurgical Treatments
An Anti-Inflammatory diet is an Anti-Aging Diet
hCG Levels – Weight Loss and The Hypothalamus
The Connection Between the Hypothalamus and Sagging Skin
The Aging Process
Prevent Skin Aging

Leave Skin_Aging and Visit Beautiful Family Skin