Aging makes our skin lose elasticity and plumpness and leads to wrinkles and sagging. This begins happening because the collagen and elastin in our skin begins to break down. Although you can't stop the aging process, you can adopt a skin care routine that will slow it down.

Bad habits such as smoking and sun bathing can influence how fast your skin ages. Smoking is the worst habit you can have. As a matter of fact, scientific evidence has evidence proving that it is directly linked to premature aging.

However, in this article we will focus on the effects caused by too much UV exposure. Also, we will see how you can apply antioxidant skin care to keep your skin looking younger for a longer period of time.

How Antioxidants Combat Skin Damage

UV exposure produces free radicals. An atom that has an unpaired electron is considered a free radical. Electrons like being in pairs, so if an electron has an unpaired electron it will naturally "search" for another electron to complete it.

In this search, the crippled atom will steal an electron from a healthy atom and convert it into a free radical. This begins a chain reaction that can eventually destroy an entire cell.

Antioxidants swoop in to save the day by neutralizing the free radicals. This is done when an antioxidant sacrifices one of their electrons to stabilize a free radical. This is how antioxidants can help slow down the aging process and treat sun damage. Follow these recommendations to help keep sun damage to a minimum.

Tip 1 - Moderate your Sun Bathing

A tan can make your skin glow. However, even a light tan is considered sun damage. A safe way of tanning without sun damage is using a self tanning lotion instead.

Tip 2 - Don't Leave your Skin Unprotected - Use Sunscreen and Protective Gear

Whenever you are in direct sunlight you should use sunscreen. The best sunscreens contain an SPF of 30 or higher. Don't forget to use protective clothing and garments such as long sleeves, sunglasses, and wide brimmed hats.

Tip 3 - Get as many Antioxidants as Possible

You can incorporate more antioxidants into your lifestyle by eating certain foods and using antioxidant skin creams. This is a wonderful way of treating your skin and repairing skin damage.

Foods high in antioxidants include fresh fruits, vegetables and grains. Don't just eat one type of food. Add color to your diet by including a wide variety of fruits and vegetalbes to make your diet more exciting.

Berries, such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are high in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and fiber. Berries are truly a wonder food.

In fact, these fruits are a very common addition to natural skin care products. You can also find Vitamin E and Vitamin C in most antioxidant skin creams and antioxidant serums.