The Centre, P.C. - Plastic Surgery Blog

What is an Antioxidant? - Thursday, November 20, 2008

Most people interested in good health and good skin care have read or heard about free radicals and how harmful they can be. What are free radicals and how to antioxidants help?

A Peek at the Chemistry

• The body is made of cells
• Cells contain atoms
• Atoms contain

• A nucleus which contains protons, which have a positive electrical charge
• Layers (shells) of orbiting electrons, which have a negative electrical charge and like to be in pairs. The shells fill up with electrons and when the outermost shell is full, the atom is inert. It doesn't form chemical bonds with other atoms.

When an atom's outer shell is not full but has an odd-man-out electron with no pair, that atom will do one of three possible things:

• Discard the single electron
• Acquire another electron to make a pair
• Bond with another atom which also has an odd-man-out electron

When any of these three actions is accomplished, that atom is stable and happy. An atom with an unpaired electron is a free radical. A molecule (several joined atoms) may also be a free radical if it has a missing electron.

A Chain Reaction Setting in

A free radical, trying to acquire an electron to make its last pair, might pull one from another atom (or molecule). If that was a stable, fully-paired atom, it now needs a replacement electron and may pull one from a third atom. Now the third atom needs one and may get it from a fourth atom. This is a chain reaction which can damage the cell containing these atoms and molecules.

Free radicals are also formed naturally as metabolic by-products when cells use oxygen. The immune system creates them as a way of neutralizing invading bacteria or viruses. They are also created by environmental factors -- chemical pollution in the air, radiation, and herbicides, for example.

How Antioxidants Help

Antioxidants can end the chain reaction by donating an electron. It doesn't turn them into another free radical because they are stable with single electrons and don't participate in the chain reaction. In effect, they are scavengers of free radicals.

• Vitamin C is the most common water-soluble antioxidant
• Vitamin E is the most common fat-soluble antioxidant

A Word to the Wise

Because Vitamins C and E (and many other substances not mentioned in this small space) are excellent antioxidants, that does not mean that more is better. Mega-dosing yourself may be harmful. A lot of research needs to be done before there is clear understanding of free radicals and nutrition. To stock your body with manageable amounts of antioxidants, eat a diet high in fresh fruit and veggies.

To learn more about skin care and the products and procedures we offer for skin improvement, please call or email our cosmetic surgery office today.