Now that we have you thinking that antioxidants are the anti-aging miracle you've been looking for, here's the bad news: Antioxidants help prevent aging, but they don't do anything to get rid of the wrinkles you already have. "I think people throw antioxidants into a category with retinol and peptides," says Baumann. "But they work very differently than those ingredients. Antioxidants help prevent the breakdown of elastin." Meanwhile, retinols speed up cell turnover, and peptides tell your skin to make more collagen. Bottom line: Remember to use an antioxidant serum underneath your sunscreen every day -- it might just be what keeps you looking young.
You wear sunscreen every day (or, OK, most days), and you're proud of it. After all, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, up to 90 percent of preventable aging is caused by UV exposure -- and that means smoking, diet, and sleep barely matter by comparison. For the last few decades, everyone from dermatologists to beauty editors has been stressing the importance of SPF. "Wear sunscreen and you'll look younger" has been our motto.
But here's the thing: We were wrong. SPF is not enough to protect you from sun damage. Sunscreens block UVA and UVB rays, but those rays only account for seven percent of solar energy. New research finds that infrared radiation, which makes up 54 percent of solar energy, also causes aging -- and it might even be worse than UV rays. While there is no product that can totally guard you from infrared radiation, studies show that antioxidants in skin care may help.
More and more dermatologists and skin care experts now recommend wearing an antioxidant serum and a sunscreen -- and many of them believe the antioxidant is the more important half of the duo. "I rarely wear sunscreen anymore," said Stuart Leitch, assistant vice president of marketing at SkinCeuticals, while sitting at a table of shocked beauty editors. "I get more protection from my antioxidant serum."
Leitch explained that he does wear SPF when he knows he's going to be outside -- and most dermatologists still suggest sticking with the combination of an antioxidant serum followed by a sunscreen. The problem, however, is that most patients skip that antioxidant step because there's so much confusion about antioxidants: What are they? What do antioxidants do? Does it matter which one you choose? We're answering these questions and more -- because adding an antioxidant to your skin care regimen might just be the most important thing you do to fight aging.
