TITLE:
Vitamin C, Grape Seed Extract and Citrus Bioflavonoids Protect the Skin against Photoaging: A Review
AUTHORS:
Brett J. West, Shixin Deng, 'Afa Kehaati Palu
KEYWORDS:
Photoaging, Skin, Antioxidants, Vitamin C, Grape Seed Extract, Citrus Bioflavonoids
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.8 No.12,
December
22,
2020
ABSTRACT: The skin is a major protective organ of the body. It is constantly exposed to the environment and is very resilient. But exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun results in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent inflammatory responses that can overwhelm the innate protective mechanisms of the skin. This results in damage and premature aging. Strategies to mitigate this premature photoaging might include avoidance of sunlight. However, some sunlight exposure is beneficial to health. One notable example of this is the production of vitamin D. A more practical approach to preventing adverse effects of UV light in the skin is antioxidant supplementation. Dietary antioxidants may help control ROS propagation following UV light exposure. To further evaluate the utility of antioxidants in protecting the skin, in vitro, in vivo and human studies of three well known dietary antioxidants are reviewed and discussed. The data clearly demonstrate that vitamin C, grape seed extract and citrus bioflavonoids have the potential to reduce the damaging effects of excess sun exposure via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating mechanisms. As such, regular ingestion of dietary antioxidants appears to be a useful strategy for protecting the skin against photoaging.