Getting to know " Antioxidant "

The use of antioxidants in any anti-aging skin care regimen is essential in order to combat and
prevent further damage. Vitamins have been used to combat free radical damage for many years. Unfortunately, they get used up rather quickly since it takes one vitamin to neutralize one free radical. Enzymes are more efficient free radical scavengers; however, they depend on the presence of a healthy cellular environ- ment and certain trace minerals to synthesize them. There is growing evidence of the synergy that exists in using combinations of antioxidants along with sunscreens. Some antioxidants have protective benefits while others work as protectants in addition to stimulating age-reversal changes.


Spin Traps–Phenyl Butyl Nitrone

We are familiar with free radical damage that occurs with oxidative stress by sun, environmental pollutants, and cigarette smoking. However, free radicals are formed as result of normal oxygen metabolism and therefore are a byproduct of normal physiologic function. Damaging free radicals are created when an aberrant electron “spins” out of its orbit leaving a highly unstable molecule. The very newest antioxidants, which are known as “spin traps,” have the ability to catch or trap the aberrant electron as it starts to spin out of control and return it to its orbit before it can do any damage. Although the use of spin traps in dermatology is in its infancy, these compounds show a great deal of promise. Spin traps were originally used as a way to measure free radical activity both in vivo and in vitro through their ability to form stable complexes. Their uses in degenerative diseases associated with aging have been a subject of study due to their ability to trap and neutralize free radicals. The most well-known spin trap is phenyl butyl nitrone (PBN) . Numerous studies by Dr. J. Carney and his associates have been performed that have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, age-reversing effects of PBN. Interestingly, it is not so much their capacity to neutralize free radicals that is responsible for the protective behavior of spin traps but, rather, their ability to modulate proinflammatory cytokines