The Role of Antioxidants in Sun Protection

It’s the newest rage in skin care — topical vitamin C. It is supposed to protect skin against harm caused by exposure to sunlight. It neither absorbs nor reflects light, so it is not a sunscreen and should not be used in replacement of sunscreen. Rather, it is a good companion to sunscreen products.

How it works:  There is a growing evidence that antioxidants like vitamin C function as free radical quenchers, thus inhibiting the damage caused by peroxidative reactions. In layman’s terms, they are free radical scavengers and may actually suppress the growth of cancer cells due to sun damage.

Advantage: Vitamin C can be absorbed into the cells and is generally still present about 30 to 36 hours after it has been applied topically to the skin. It will, therefore, still give an element sun protection even though you may have washed your skin or gone swimming.

What to buy: Many companies use derivatives of vitamin C, such as ascorbyl palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate. Derivatives are easier to stabilize, but recent studies indicate that vitamin C derivatives do not perform the same way as L-ascorbic acid.

Look for products that contain stable L-ascorbic acid at a low pH and high concentration (10 percent is good). Remember that just because the label says “vitamin C” doesn’t mean the product contains L-ascorbic acid.

Vitamin C or Vitamin E?:Topical vitamin E is proving to be better at boosting UVB protection while vitamin C demonstrated stronger protective effects against UVA radiation.

I also have links to my other articles through my blogs: Sharing my Thoughts and Lifestyle Magazine for Moms

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