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Antioxidants, Anti-aging and Skin Rejuvenation
Overview - Part 2
By Peter T. Pacik, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Many of the MD Forte products contain antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C and E in an effort to enhance their skin care program. Advanced skin care has as its goal the concept that environmental factors such as sun exposure and smoking, as well as natural aging, can be improved or reversed by the proper application of topical skin care products. In this e-mail, I will discuss the two major categories of skin aging. This will give you a foundation of information for future e-mails detailing the roles of Vitamins A, C, and E.

Skin aging can be divided into 2 major categories. INTRINSIC aging and EXTRINSIC aging (or photoaging)¹.

INTRINSIC AGING is defined as the natural or chronological aging of the skin thought to be due to a combination of genetic programming and wear and tear. Clinically the skin becomes loose, thin and irregular in pigment and tone.

EXTRINSIC AGING is caused by the effects of external factors on the skin, such as ultraviolet radiation, chemicals and smoking. Clinically, the skin takes on a leathery appearance (compared to thinning skin - intrinsic aging), wrinkling and mottled pigmentation becomes prominent, and benign, pre-malignant and malignant tumors appear. These changes can be seen on microscopic examination of the skin.

In both types of aging, deleterious "free radicals" are produced. The body has a number of natural repair systems that are stimulated including the production of natural antioxidants (Vitamins C, E and others). These antioxidants scavenge the free radicals to heal cells that have been damaged. When we are exposed to excessive ultraviolet radiation, the body's natural defenses cannot keep up with the needed repairs leading to cell death or damage ². Anti-aging with the use of antioxidants helps combat these free radicals to restore the natural healing process.

Therefore, topical antioxidants are being studied to enhance the natural antioxidants in an effort to help reduce, inhibit and even reverse ultraviolet radiation damage to the skin. Please note that any therapeutic regimen for reversing or preventing sun damage should include daily use of sunscreens because we are exposed to ultraviolet radiation even on cloudy days, sitting under a tree, or behind glass.

Future e-mails will explore the benefits of the antioxidants Vitamins A, C and E and how each vitamin plays a role in re-establishing the health of the skin. If you are new to the MD Forte line, please follow the guidelines in the 4-Step Daily Regimen and "graduate" slowly to the higher levels. The following list shows some of the products that contain the antioxidant vitamins. Additional products containing vitamins will be discussed in the next e-mail.
1 Boh, E.E., "Free Radicals and Aging of the Skin", Cosmetic Dermatology 14:37-40, December 2001.
2 Yaar M, Gilchrest B, "Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Cutaneous Aging", J. Dermatol Surg Oncol 16:239-244, 2000.

For more information, please visit our Web site skincare-md.com and our plastic surgery website plasticsurgerypa.com. All of our previous educational e-mails , as well as The MD Forte 4-Step Daily Regimen, Obagi Nu-Derm System Daily Regimen, and Obagi-C Rx Recommended Daily System Application are found on our website www.skincare-md.com. If you have any additional questions or would like to speak to or would like to speak to Lisa Roberge, our esthetician, please feel free to call us during office hours Monday thru Thursday 9-4, Friday 9-3 EST at 1-800-640-0290 or (603) 669-0290. If there are any topics that you would like covered in these educational e-mails, suggestions or concerns you may have, please let us know. We encourage you to share your experiences both positive and negative with us. Your comments are important to us.

Peter T. Pacik, M.D., FACS
Medical Director

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