Our skin is an amazing thing. Not only is it the largest organ in the body, but it is also one of the organs that really exists outside of the body. The healthiness of our skin so depends on both what we put into our bodies as well as what we put on our bodies. With so many factors having an effect on our skin's health, two groups of vital items frequently get overlooked. They are polyphenols and phytosterols.
What's a polyphenol?
Plants are like chemical factories producing a myriad of chemicals and compounds that help them to grow, protect themselves, reproduce and regenerate. Polyphenols are a class of organic chemicals that are produced in plants and have anti-oxidant benefits. There are over 4,000 anti-oxidant polyphenols so there's limited research on a lot of them. Anti oxidising agents help to remove oxidizing compounds that appear as a result of oxidization. Anti-oxidating compounds are good for us because when eaten they can help to cut swelling and ensuing issues like coronary heart disease. There is also evidence that they can help us when applied topically, such as retarding the process of skin wrinkling and ageing.
We will be able to access polyphenols and use them topically by extracting the oils of plants that manufacture polyphenols. Within the plants the polyphenols work to prevent rancidity but on our skin they do wonders. We can find three different types of polyphenols:
1. Flavonoids
2. Lignans, and
3. Tannins
Flavonoids:
You could have heard of flavonoids before though not know exactly what they are. Flavonoids are found all though a plant, including in the pigment of brightly coloured flowers. Communally they are called Vitamin P and are found at length in nature. They are dynamic anti-oxidating agents that have anti inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, and anti-allergic properties. Flavonoids can be discovered in citrus fruits, sea buckthorn, red wine, tea, berries and cocoa, simply to cite a couple sorts of foods. The systematic community agrees that flavonoids have a broad impact on different layers of the skin. The upper layer of our skin (stratum corneum) is brim-full of lipids and trans-acids which can easily oxidize. Here flavonoids can go to work disposing of free radicals that are generated as a consequence of oxidation. Further down into the epidermal layers flavonoids can stop UV damage with their anti-oxidizing properties. And in the innermost layer of skin (the dermis), they can assist in protecting the microvessels that nourish and feed the skin. It's no wonder than many skin formulations are starting to harness these forceful antioxidants.
Lignans:
Lignans are phytoestrogens which both act as anti-oxidants and are estrogen-like chemicals. Lignans are present in a lot of plants including flax seeds, sesame seeds, soybeans, pumpkin seeds and apricots. Since lignans are anti-oxidants, they also scavenge free radical agents on our skin when applied topically.
Tannins:
If you've had a tumbler of red wine and then tasted that puckery feeling in your mouth after, then you know what a tannin is. Tannins are a bitter sort of polyphenol that are acid, and they happen in more plants than merely grapes. Green tea, witch hazel, pomegranates, berries and nuts are an example of other sorts of plants with high levels of tannin. The medical community is just starting to investigate the uses of tannins in the body. Tannins have been shown to have potential antibacterial, antiviral, and antiparasitic properties. They have also proved to be strong anti-oxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. It will not be surprising to see more research come out in the following few years on how tannins affect skin health and about how polyphenols and skin are so intertwined.
What's a polyphenol?
Plants are like chemical factories producing a myriad of chemicals and compounds that help them to grow, protect themselves, reproduce and regenerate. Polyphenols are a class of organic chemicals that are produced in plants and have anti-oxidant benefits. There are over 4,000 anti-oxidant polyphenols so there's limited research on a lot of them. Anti oxidising agents help to remove oxidizing compounds that appear as a result of oxidization. Anti-oxidating compounds are good for us because when eaten they can help to cut swelling and ensuing issues like coronary heart disease. There is also evidence that they can help us when applied topically, such as retarding the process of skin wrinkling and ageing.
We will be able to access polyphenols and use them topically by extracting the oils of plants that manufacture polyphenols. Within the plants the polyphenols work to prevent rancidity but on our skin they do wonders. We can find three different types of polyphenols:
1. Flavonoids
2. Lignans, and
3. Tannins
Flavonoids:
You could have heard of flavonoids before though not know exactly what they are. Flavonoids are found all though a plant, including in the pigment of brightly coloured flowers. Communally they are called Vitamin P and are found at length in nature. They are dynamic anti-oxidating agents that have anti inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, and anti-allergic properties. Flavonoids can be discovered in citrus fruits, sea buckthorn, red wine, tea, berries and cocoa, simply to cite a couple sorts of foods. The systematic community agrees that flavonoids have a broad impact on different layers of the skin. The upper layer of our skin (stratum corneum) is brim-full of lipids and trans-acids which can easily oxidize. Here flavonoids can go to work disposing of free radicals that are generated as a consequence of oxidation. Further down into the epidermal layers flavonoids can stop UV damage with their anti-oxidizing properties. And in the innermost layer of skin (the dermis), they can assist in protecting the microvessels that nourish and feed the skin. It's no wonder than many skin formulations are starting to harness these forceful antioxidants.
Lignans:
Lignans are phytoestrogens which both act as anti-oxidants and are estrogen-like chemicals. Lignans are present in a lot of plants including flax seeds, sesame seeds, soybeans, pumpkin seeds and apricots. Since lignans are anti-oxidants, they also scavenge free radical agents on our skin when applied topically.
Tannins:
If you've had a tumbler of red wine and then tasted that puckery feeling in your mouth after, then you know what a tannin is. Tannins are a bitter sort of polyphenol that are acid, and they happen in more plants than merely grapes. Green tea, witch hazel, pomegranates, berries and nuts are an example of other sorts of plants with high levels of tannin. The medical community is just starting to investigate the uses of tannins in the body. Tannins have been shown to have potential antibacterial, antiviral, and antiparasitic properties. They have also proved to be strong anti-oxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. It will not be surprising to see more research come out in the following few years on how tannins affect skin health and about how polyphenols and skin are so intertwined.
About the Author:
Louella Bronnson believes in using natural cures as cures and that obviously includes organic skin care and sensible eating.
