This time of year brings many seasonal ingredients full of antioxidants that are great for our skin. Thankfully there are three seasonal fruits that can help your skin get through the winter months; pumpkin, pomegranate, and cranberry.
Why are antioxidants so important? Every day, our skin is under assault – from UV rays, pollution, or cigarette smoke, for example. That damage causes free radicals, which are oxygen molecules that have lost an electron. As a result, those unpaired molecules try to steal electrons from other molecules, including vital skin components. The result is visible skin damage, in the form of lines, wrinkles, and redness. Luckily, antioxidants can supply those missing electrons, calm attacking molecules, and prevent damage.
In a nutshell, antioxidants are among the most important preventive ingredients in the skin care arsenal. They can effectively prevent (and minimize) redness and inflammation, and are essential for slowing the signs of skin aging.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin offers plenty of benefits when applied topically to the skin, and a number of cosmetics and beauty product companies are making skincare products that contain pumpkin enzymes as a leading ingredient. The enzymes found in pumpkins dissolve dead skin cells, which makes it a great chemical exfoliant. Plus pumpkin is full of beta carotene and is a good source of anti-aging vitamin A.
Pumpkin is also a rich source of nutrients and antioxidants that can help your skin achieve a healthy glow throughout the winter season! From facial treatments and moisturizers, to invigorating body treatments and wraps, pumpkin and pumpkin extracts can be used in a variety of indulgent treatments at the spa!
Pomegranate
Pomegranate contains a big-deal antioxidant called punicic acid, so it helps the skin defend itself from free radicals, which cause premature aging. The oil supports and maintains immune, reproductive, circulatory, digestive, metabolic, and skin health. It has the ability to soothe, protect, and moisturize dry, cracked, and irritated skin, as well as to improve skin elasticity and promote cellular rejuvenation.
Pomegranate seed oil is the only known plant-based source of Omega 5 essential fatty acid. While fish oil (an Omega 3) has been widely touted over the last few years – and is even commonly prescribed now as the essential fatty acid that protects the body from a myriad of diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes – it should really only be taken orally due to the fact that it is a large molecule that is not readily absorbed by the skin. Omega 5, on the other hand, is highly compatible with the dermis due to its small molecular size, meaning it is absorbed almost instantaneously and even becomes a delivery system for nutrients to cells.
Cranberry
Cranberries may be a perennial source of debate at Thanksgiving dinner – love ‘em or hate ‘em, fresh or canned – but in the dermatological community, the verdict is clear: Cranberries are a wonderful source of antioxidants, so don’t hold back when they come around the table this year.
Cranberries are actually a type of acidic berries that are rich in vitamin C and believed to contain excellent infection fighting properties. A source of pythochemicals known as condensed tannins; these berries are powerful antioxidant and natural antiseptic with anti-inflammatory effect.
