You've heard it before: skin is our largest organ...but unlike other organs, skin is always in direct contact with the environment. This is where CoQ10 becomes vital. We'll get to the zombies in a minute.
There are a few important things to know about your body when it comes to your skin and CoQ10, an ingredient found in our misted Hydrating Elixirs.
1) Your body produces it naturally and plays a large role in the body's metabolism, both internally and in the skin organ itself.
2) Study after study has proven the production of this important antioxidant decreases with age. And the compounding effects of this antioxidant loss is where we see significant changes as skin matures.
Yes, Dolly Pardon in Steel Magnolias got this one right:
Ugh. I hate that. Love Dolly, hate those marchers.
Why? As we age skin becomes less and less armored with free radical fighting antioxidants, your skin's protective barrier breaks down. The cummulative effects are visible, the older we get, the quicker it breaks down - resulting in those pesky signs we try to correct with everything we can get our hands on. Skin is, unfortunately, a window into the biological effects of aging.
I was blown away about what I DIDN'T know.
Scientifically, metabolism itself is a cellular issue and CoQ10 plays a role - whether you're thinking of it in managing weight, heart and other vital organs, or the visible signs of skin aging. This is due in part to what's called "oxidative stress" on your body. Oxidative stress, truly simplified, is an imbalance in your cells when there are too many free radicals (my favorite reference is a blogger equating them to zombies - it totally fits) trying to attack your cells, and a lack of antioxidants like CoQ10 to neutralize them. Oxidative stress and this imbalance contribute greatly to the health, appearance, and function of the skin. Compounding oxidative stressors hastens photoaging and contributes to the development of skin cancer.
Wait, what? This can be a cause for skin cancer?
I had to do a double take on that one, because I thought my first bout of skin cancer was only due to my years of tanning accelerator and oil, never wearing SPF unless I had already fried myself the day before. And - yes, it was a huge factor, but so was the breakdown of my aging skin. Unfortunately the damage was already done: the price to pay came while sitting in my doctor's office removing a scary looking mole off my face. And yes, of course overexposure to the sun was a major factor. In addition to being something we easily see, we definitely feel the results of it on our skin. We can try to control it with using SPF...but it's just part of the puzzle. And it's surely not going to fix those resulting wrinkles.
Skin is a major environmental interface for the body. It gets exposed to a number of free radicals (those pesky zombies), chemical mutagens and carcinogens - in addition to UVA/UVB rays from the sun at any given second. From this and pollution, to foods and medications, it's not getting any easier for this vital organ to protect us and it all contributes to the appearance of our skin.
The damage is done...I live in a highly polluted world...so...now what?
Thankfully, CoQ10 applied directly to the skin has been shown to reduce oxidative damage caused by UV rays and even decrease the depth of wrinkles.
We'll never get our pre-sun, pre-evironmentally damaged childhood skin back. That said, I know we've found a way to suppliment skin with an arsenal of potent antioxidants that will get back some of that energy it lost and help fight the pesky free radical pollutants we have in our air. That's where CoQ10 comes in. I'm beyond proud that we have it in every misted Elixir we produce, and without a doubt have seen results from using it on my skin. My last visit to the dermatologist was amazing - and the results of my photoaging test showed I had shaved 7 years off my skin's appearance, with no additional skin cancer to report.
Does SKIN UP + Elixirs work with sunscreen?
SKIN UP, it doesn't have sunscreen, but it works with your favorites. Our goal is to boost the skin with these nourishing, skin defending antioxidants and can be misted under and over sunscreen. Should you go crazy and get too much sun, the hyaluronic acid and aloe in our elixirs both instantly hydrate and sooth. We suggest applying your first mist on a clean dry face, do all of the magic you do for yourself (skincare, makeup, etc.) then hit it again to seal everything in for barrier support. You can use it over sunscreen as much as you'd like, just be sure to keep applying as that 15 spf (15 minutes of sun protection) really only lasts minutes. This applies for hands, feet, neck and chest as well - don't forget to mist them too!
As for me...I promise to wear sunscreen. I mean, I'll try to promise to wear sunscreen. I'll make sure my makeup has it. Or...a hat. Something. I'm a work in progress, but I know my skin will be better for it. It has to be actively introduced as part of my routine, just like SKIN UP if I want to keep those pesky signs from all that marching off my face.
Wishing you a happy, safe, skin loving summer season!
For you research junkies like me, here are some of the sources for this blog:
Oxidative Stress and Skin Cancer: An Overview https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3613501/
Heathline: 9 Benefits of CoQ10 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coenzyme-q10
Steel Magnolias: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098384/