Summer is the perfect time to hike, garden and swim, but the endless days of this laid-back season also include many opportunities for sun damage. Broad-spectrum sunscreen is a must, but there’s more you can do to protect your skin against the sun: namely, antioxidants. Antioxidants are a great way to help neutralize the visible effects the sun may have on skin (such as dark spots and wrinkles), so picking products with antioxidants can go a long way.
First, a quick recap about just what exactly antioxidants do. Free radicals (or as scientists call them, “reactive oxygen species”) form in our bodies from different causes, particularly UV rays. These molecules are missing an electron, so they scavenge around for one and in this process they cause damage to other cells. This is where antioxidants come in to save the day. By “donating” an electron to free radicals, antioxidants manage to neutralize them and halt or minimize the damage. [1].