Normal Skin: Protect from Environment Stressors

Antioxidants are molecules that are able to slow or prevent the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation produces free radicals, which trigger a chain reaction in the body that damages cells, potentially leading to skin cancer. Multiple studies have been conducted regarding the protective benefits of topical antioxidants, and results indicate that the addition of antioxidants to daily sunscreen usage may play an important role in skin cancer and photoaging prevention. Those antioxidants that have demonstrated not only radical scavenging capabilities, but also chemo-protective activity include epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea, resveratrol from grapes, genistein from soy, caffeine, and silybin from milk thistle, which also may be particularly beneficial for the skin cancer patient.