Until now, caffeine was primarily used as a vasoconstrictor, making it a successful treatment for diminishing the look of cellulite and reducing under-eye puffiness. Today, topically applied caffeine has emerged as a super star for its ability to defend against UV damage.
When the skin is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays, melanin (pigment) is deposited in a blanket type formation over the nucleus of a cell to protect it from damage. Outwardly, we see this process as tanned skin, but it’s not the ‘healthy tan’ we like to think it is – there is nothing healthy about it – it’s a sign that the skin has been stressed and damaged.
UV radiation not only stimulates the production of melanin, it produces free radicals that, in short, destroy or diminish the body’s own antioxidant defense system, which leads to further cell damage.
Avoiding the sun, using a broad spectrum sunscreen and supplementing the skin with additional antioxidants can help minimize damage caused by UV exposure. Antioxidants work by speeding up the skin’s natural repair systems and by directly inhibiting further damage. Some potent antioxidants like Vitamins C and E, green tea and others, help fight free radicals and are helpful in improving the overall health and quality of the skin. One powerful antioxidant we don’t often associate with skin care, is caffeine.
High in antioxidants, caffeine has a unique set of abilities. It is capable of reversing UV damage – its UVB-absorbing capabilities reduces the production of damaged cells and the formation and activity of free radicals. More amazing than that, caffeine has the ability to identify damaged cells in the body and assist in their removal, before they lead to the formation of cancer.
Caffeine has the ability to target abnormal skin cells and destroy them, while keeping healthy, normal skin cells intact.
Even the most diligent person, using sunscreen regularly and avoiding over exposure to UV rays, is bound to have some degree of damage from UV radiation. The addition of topically applied caffeine, with its ability to help the skin terminate damaged cells before they do more harm, is not only comforting, it will surely lead to the development of new, highly effective, products designed to block and prevent the formation of damaged cells like Dr. SkinSpa’s Topix Relenix Cream CF: Replenishing Cream with Green Tea and Caffeine.