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[music]
Hello, I'm Dr. Neal Schultz
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And welcome to DermTV.
A viewer asked whether purchasing topical antioxidants in jars
lower their effectiveness. The short answer is
that if the jar or bottle is clear, or allows any light
to pass through it, then the light will reduce the effectiveness
of the antioxidant.
And that occurs for the same reason that I strongly recommend
applying topical antioxidants only at bedtime and not during the day.
Remember, antioxidants help to protect your skin from
damaging UV and free radicals by the antioxidants
themselves absorbing dangerous energy inside the cells
so it can’t destroy the DNA, cell membranes
and other vital parts of your skin cells.
But when those antioxidants protect you
by absorbing that bad energy,
the antioxidants are destroyed in the process.
When antioxidants get destroyed by absorbing bad energy,
they don’t know whether they’re inside your skin
where of course they need to be,
or whether they’re on the surface of your skin,
or even in their bottle: all they know is
to act like a sponge to absorb bad energy
and in the process get destroyed.
So if your antioxidant is in any container that allows light in,
the UV will destroy some of the antioxidant and weaken it.
Over time it can lose almost all of its potency.
And for the same reason, if the UV hits the antioxidants
on your skin during the day before it absorbs into your skin,
then while it may increase your sun protection slightly,
the antioxidant is ruined before it can get into your cells
to do its vital job.
That’s exactly why you should always apply them at night.
So when it comes to purchasing topical antioxidants,
make sure it’s in an opaque container that blocks light,
and for them to be as effective as possible,
also make sure to apply them at nighttime.