"Ooooh, you've got that pregnancy glow"
The amount of times I heard that while pregnant was baffling.
Honestly I'm pretty confident I was just sweating from carrying around a growing human inside me through two summers... (yes, I gave birth twice in September; meaning I endured the end of my pregnancies during the hottest time of the year).
Glow sweat aside, I consider myself to be an absolute skincare junkie. If you tell me it's good for my skin I will likely buy the serum, the lotion, the face cream, & the beauty tool.
I told my esthetician (yes, I have an esthetician.... I'm a 39 year old mom of two who is trying to pass at minimum for early 30's)
... that the melasma and dark spots that appeared from my second pregnancy had to be dealt with (the melasma stache under my nose and along my cheeks was not a cute look).
In addition I was frustrated with how dull my skin had now become.
Dull and littered with lingering melasma ... my least favorite look.
Peering at my skin in her white lab coat, my esthetician:
(with her perfectly clear skin and pores that had certainly abandoned her for some other stratosphere)
...politely informed me that laser could "anger" the dark spots, microneedling may help after several (7) treatments, but at minimum I needed to be adding antioxidants to my diet.
Why are antioxidants the secret to glowing skin?
Let's start with what antioxidants are:
Antioxidants are essential and necessary for your skin to fight pigmentation and aging.
Antioxidants inhibit oxidation in the body.
If the body has too much oxidation, (that exceeds what the antioxidants can defend) this is called oxidative stress.
This stress and inflammation can cause collagen fragmentation and a disorganization of collagen fibers.. leading to wrinkles and lack luster skin along with aged and increased pigmentation.
What's interesting to note, is that while your body produces some types of antioxidants, it mainly receives them from what you consume (your diet/and any supplements).
Ok, so I'm sold...
I want to up the amount of antioxidants I'm consuming... which leads me to our next subject:
What should I eat, to add more antioxidants in my body?
If you google "what foods are the best source of antioxidants" you'll see a list of berries, lot's of colorful veggies, and even dark chocolate.
Here are some of my personal favorites:
- Berries (blackberries, gooseberry, wild blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, acai, )
- Pomegranate (+ vitamin C & B5)
- Peach
- Acerola Cherry
- Apples
- Green Tea
- Papaya
- Mango
- Spinach
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Beet Root
- Sweet Potato
- Tomatoes
- Nuts
- Yogurt
- Garlic
- Dark Chocolate
When it comes to skin benefiting, there are some standout antioxidants to go for.
*Vitamin C & E:
Research has found that vitamins C and E, can help protect the skin against the damaging affects of the sun and even skin cancer.
Bonus, these antioxidant powerhouses may actually reverse some of the discoloration and wrinkles that are associated with aging.
It may be why they have been given the nickname skins BFF'S
HOW?
Vitamin C & E work by speeding up the skins natural repair system and inhibiting further damage.
Vitamin C actually impedes melanin production ( the production that leads to discoloration). Less discoloration = more GLOW.
Vitamin C is your skin’s BFF
Vitamin C is required to maintain your immune system, create glowing skin, and aid in the healing of blemishes.
Vitamin C is required for the production of collagen, which strengthens the capillaries that nourish the skin.
When looking to boost skins glow consume more of these vitamins or look for these antioxidant superheroes in your skin supplement.
Making antioxidants work for you:
Now I love to eat healthy and buy healthy foods, but some of the antioxidant rich fruits can be hard to come by and rather pricy when out of season.
Because life is crazy busy and I can't always shop exotic fruits, I decided to invest in a supplement that would give back to my skin and was packed with antioxidants that I could take daily.
I take and recommend the Baby Blues SKINGLOW Superfood Supplement Stars .
They are packed with over 12 exotic fruits (acai, goji berry, acerola cherry, papaya, & beet root... to name a few) + all the antioxidants I can absorb, along with Vitamin C & E.
The Takeaway
Increasing antioxidant activity in your skin brings significant changes to your skins health.
The skin which is rich in antioxidants looks and feels smoother, firmer, evenly toned, and brighter.
Upping your antioxidant consumption can be a simple enough change that really pays off for a new mom struggling with lackluster or uneven skintone.
