Free radical exposure does not do your acne good. On your face, they attack your skin’s oil, generating an acne-causing nightmare compound called squalene peroxide.
Free radicals have a more subtle weakening effect, as they deplete several antioxidants with dual benefits, including vitamin E (keeps inflammation down), vitamin A (slows dead skin cell turnover) and resveratrol (protects against sunlight).
How does all that translate to your face? The answer is – clogged pores and inflammatory acne. Premature aging and lifeless skin are also possible.
If that sounds familiar, then good news – the following nine strategies will slash your free radical exposure down to much safer levels.
1) Ozone bombards your face directly
If you want to cure acne the natural way, then breathing in air pollution is not going to help you. Look at the health problems it causes:
-Higher lung cancer risk.
-Accelerated aging.
-Damage to throat tissue.
All 3 are signs of free radical exposure, and the villain in question is ozone. O3 is formed when nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from car exhaust fumes reacts with “volatile organic compounds”. The problem? Ozone is a highly reactive molecule – and it particularly loves to react with your skin cells.
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Have you ever noticed how acne is an epidemic in cities compared to the countryside? This study found that the free radicals generated by ozone deplete your vitamin E stores by up to 25%.
The solution – move somewhere else! Move somewhere where there’s no ozone in particular. Otherwise, you can 1) shut your windows and freshen your household air as much as possible, by planting houseplants or spraying less perfumes, deodorants, and air fresheners. Or 2) wash your face like a pro whenever you escape the outdoors.
2) Collateral damage from Benzoyl Peroxide
Benzoyl Peroxide is without question the most over-the-top facial cleanser ever created. It works by breaking down into benzoic acid and oxygen upon contact with the skin. The oxygen acts as a free radical and destroys p.acnes bacteria, which is why users notice a short term reduction in inflammation.
After several weeks though, users commonly complain that the acne comes roaring back. Why? Because the free radicals also set the stage for p.acnes’ return, by creating squalene peroxide and blocking your pores more than ever. Moreover, the constant depletion of vitamin E and vitamin A stores takes a heavy toll as the weeks progress.
Make no mistake – BP generates an army of free radicals (also called reactive oxygen species). That’s exactly how this heavy duty weapon functions. And that’s exactly why you should avoid it.
The solution – ditch the BP and focus on your diet. Why bother to make benzoyl peroxide safe when you can eliminate the need for it in the first place.
A good topical treatment is tea tree oil. This is highly antibacterial against p.acnes, due to its natural componds like terpinen-4-ol, without unleashing uncontrollable swarms of free radicals.
3) Cigarette smoke, first-hand or second hand
“Death sticks” are the biggest source of free radicals bar none. A single puff on a cigarette can fill your body with trillions. Production peaks roughly 1-2 minutes after ignition, and that’s also peak smoking time.
Tobacco leaves already oxidise extremely easily, but cigarettes are filled with literally hundreds of chemicals, fillers, flow agents – even former chemical weapons. Tobacco crop fields are drenched with glyphosate, an herbicide which isn’t a free radical but acts like one in the body.
In this study on 11592 people, heavy cigarette smokers had by far the lowest bloodstream vitamin C. That’s your body’s main water-soluble antioxidant.
It’s not just a cigarette in your mouth either. This study tested tobacco smoke on rats, but not surprisingly, they couldn’t get the poor creatures to start puffing away. Hence, they breathed in second-hand cigarette smoke. Vitamin A levels fell substantially in their lungs, liver and blood.
The solution – stop smoking! If you can’t, minimise your intake as much as you can. I’m not a smoker myself, but I have a purely theoretical idea for a trick you could try.
Much of the relief from ingesting nicotine comes from lowered stress levels, since your cravings vanish. Well, another indulgence that lowers stress is high-cocoa dark chocolate. The antioxidants boost serotonin, and there’s a secret mood-enhancing stimulant called theobromine. Furthermore, chocolate contains a neurotransmitter called anandamide, which temporarily blocks feelings of depression and anxiety.
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People everywhere eat chocolate when they’re stressed without realising it. Unlike cigarettes though, dark chocolate (85% cocoa is best) has benefits for acne, like lowered inflammation and antioxidants. Try dark chocolate and see if you can resist the nicotine urge!
4) Oxidised fish oil pills
Fish oil pills are a massive health craze right now, because they’re the world’s best source of omega 3 fatty acids. They boost brain health, and for acne, they can control your immune system’s annoying inflammatory responses. According to some studies, omega 3s can reduce acne by 42%…
…but there’s a big problem with almost all cheap brands: fish oil is a polyunsaturated fat. And because polyunsaturated fats are structurally weaker than saturated or monounsaturated ones, they are highly prone to oxidation when unaccompanied by antioxidants.
Fish oil that’s left for too long in a supermarket or supplement shop turns from an omega 3 pill into a free radical pill. Picture a common soybean oil turning rancid on your shelf. As fat-soluble free radicals (lipid peroxides), they’ll also be particularly proficient at depleting fat-soluble antioxidants, such as your precious vitamin E.
The solution – buy a more expensive brand! It’s pointless to save money with a cheap brand if it makes your acne worse. You want one that’s cold-processed, to guarantee that the antioxidants are intact. Better yet, just eat real fish.
5) Sunlight (if your skin is weak)
The biggest natural source of free radicals in a human being’s life, whether modern or a prehistoric cave man, is the friendly old sun in the sky. However, it’s a complicated subject.
Clearly, too much UV light does mutate your skin cells and cause cancer. Free radical generation is a huge factor, and it’s also a big cause of acne when squalene peroxide later appears. Nonstop sunbathing WILL cause free radical overload…
…but sunlight exposure is also critical for all acne patients. Vitamin D controls inflammatory chemical release, is needed for sensitive insulin receptor cells, and is critical for mental health (deficiencies often cause the “winter blues”).
It’s clearly a balancing act, so what must an acne patient do?
The solution – simply put, you must strengthen your skin’s sunlight defences. Dietary antioxidants like resveratrol will build themselves into your skin cells, with vitamin A (carrots, eggs) blocking UV light particularly well.
Dark chocolate substantially increases the minimal erythemal dose, the lowest concentration at which UV light causes skin mutations. Getting more vitamin D itself will gradually strengthen your defences. If your skin rashes and burns easily, then try a supplement to ease yourself in.
Thus, you will enjoy more vitamin D and more sunny days surfing on the beach without your skin becoming a pimple picnic.
6) SUGAR
Sugar is a nightmare for acne
and that’s mainly because it increases inflammation by over 100%. However, sugar has a nasty surprise.
Consuming glucose leads to an almost immediate blood sugar spike, and this sugar reacts with bloodstream proteins to form advanced glycation-end products.
What on earth are those? They’re mutated proteins with a strong free radical activity. They can spread to anywhere, and deplete the antioxidants that help your skin.
The solution – keep your sugar intake down! There are always some AGE’s being formed; it’s inevitable and perfectly safe. However, you can slow the conveyor belt by cleverly organising a low sugar, yet still nutritious diet. Consume less than 50 gram of sugar per day, preferably from whole foods. More fiber equals slower digestion, and a smaller blood sugar spike. Naturally occurring sugars beat added ones easily.
7) Standard deodorants and antiperspirants
We now move on to the secret subject of indirect free radicals. In nature, humans have two main sources of antioxidants. Obviously, there’s food (lycopene, resveratrol), but your body also manufactures plenty. The main one is glutathione, which hoovers up various free radicals, and even regenerates important acne nutrients like vitamin E and vitamin C.
However, glutathione has another important role: phase 1 and 2 detoxification. It binds to bloodstream toxins and reduces them to a less harmful state.
What this means is that any hidden environmental toxin can deplete your glutathione levels slightly, chipping away one molecule at a time, removing the quantities available to tackle free radicals…
…and one such villain is deodorant. Who knows why, but common spray deodorants and antiperspirants are loaded with aluminium. For example, this scientific review from 2001 found that antiperspirant usage significantly increased aluminium absorption into the body. After a single underarm application, .012 percent of the aluminium can make it inside.
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That’s not much, but aluminium is toxic, and glutathione has to detoxify every molecule. This study confirmed that aluminium depletes glutathione reductase substantially. Your antioxidants fall and fall when you apply these care products every morning.
The solution – make the switch to aluminium-free deodorants and antiperspirants. Be warned though – almost all such products are contaminated with other chemicals, including parabens and inflammatory phthalates.
Fortunately, there’s a glorious solution at hand. Underarm odour is actually caused by bacteria consuming your sweat, so a mixture of baking soda and coconut oil will freshen you up nicely.
8) Pacific tuna
Tuna is a healthy food, in its natural state. But these days, it’s nowhere near in its natural state.
Tuna is the common fish most heavily contaminated with mercury, a heavy metal with carcinogenic and neuron-destroying properties. The oceans are full of mercury, thanks to decades of industrial pollution spewing out of China. With the Chinese economy still growing rapidly, the mercury threat is also growing rapidly.
The quantity in fish shot up by 30% from 1990 to 2009. Roughly 75 percent of all human mercury exposure comes from eating fish. 40 percent of US exposure comes from eating contaminated tuna from the Pacific Ocean.
The danger for free radicals? Again, mercury is known to rapidly deplete glutathione in the body. Glutathione transferase is the main agent in the phase 1 detoxification of mercury. In fact, increasing its production is a main strategy of professional mercury detoxification protocols.
The solution – I don’t like to say it, but you need to find another fish to eat. It’s a real shame to be honest. I love the taste of tuna, and it’s packed with acne-clearing minerals like zinc. But luckily, you can move to greener pastures and eat salmon, herring, mackerel, or even sardines instead.
9) Commercial fruit juice
Previously, we’ve discussed at length how fruit juice is basically acne juice. The stuff is loaded with sugar, and there’s no fiber to slow the digestion down…
…but there’s another problem: arsenic. Many brands contain well over the 100ppb safe drinking limit set by the World Health Organisation. Apple juice and grape juice are particularly contaminated; Consumer Reports found that regular apple juice drinkers averaged at 19% more arsenic in their bloodstream.
That’s bad news, because arsenic is a heavy metal, and broadly, glutathione helps to detoxify nearly all of them. This 2013 study tested 378 people, and concluded that higher bloodstream arsenic correlated neatly with lower glutathione. Previous studies found an association between arsenic and oxidative stress.
The solution – say no to fruit juice! Say no to the adverts recommending a glass of apple juice as one of your “five a day”. It isn’t, because the juice is stored in concentrate for up to a year, and the vitamin C slowly depletes.
Only drink fruit juice for a treat. Instead, eat real fruit. Buy organic apples to minimise the risk of arsenic, and also other pesticides, many of which are fellow glutathione robbers.
…and one dead easy antioxidant source
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that I recommend an acne diet packed with antioxidant rich foods. Apples, broccoli, and watermelon are all great, while sweet potatoes, dark chocolate and pomegranate are truly excellent.
But there’s one food that rises above them all for sheer simplicity, and that’s organic oregano. This stuff is terrific! I sprinkle organic oregano over any food I can, especially steak and meat. Why?
Dried oregano is the fifth richest source of antioxidants known to man. It’s ORAC score is a staggering 200,000. Compare that with 10,500 for pomegranate and 16,000 for a cup of coffee, both revered for their antioxidants.
Because oregano is dried out, the phenols and flavonoids in the fresh leaf become hyper-concentrated. That’s what gives oregano its flavour.
The best part is the sheer convenience. A bulk bag of organic oregano costs almost nothing from many online retailers. If you live in the UK, then check out realfoods.co.uk. You don’t have to steam it like broccoli or kale; just add this herb to whatever food it tastes good with.
Conclusion
There you have it. Nine simple ways to avoid free radicals. If your skin is grey, tired, and generally lifeless, then free radicals are probably a big villain behind your acne.
As we mentioned at the end, don’t forget to boost your antioxidant intake simultaneously. You need all the resources available to give your free radicals a pummeling.
You can start by wolfing down various antioxidant-rich fruits vegetables, herbs and spices. Secondly, don’t forget to optimise glutathione! It’s the antioxidant which is most overlooked by society and acne patients. This article contains a full guide to accelerating your production (selenium is a great place to start).
NEXT: discover the root causes of acne and banish your pimples forever
Thanks for reading!