Anti Aging Skin Care And Idebenone

Idebenone (pronounced eedy-be-known), a super antioxidant, is now being used in select anti-aging skin care products. That’s good news for you if you need to get rid of some extra wrinkles that none of us can avoid as we grow older. While idebenone has been known for a long time as a pharmaceutical agent, it has arrived to the realm of skin care only recently. In fact, some skin care companies claim it as a new, cutting-edge discovery. But, can it really benefit your skin? In the 1970s and 1980s, researchers had been studying the potential of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), including its ability to improve heart failure, reduce free radical damage and slow down certain neurological conditions.

CoQ10, a vitamin-like natural compound found in all aerobic organisms, plays an important role in cellular energy production and is also an effective antioxidant. Trying to boost CoQ10’s therapeutic effects, scientists synthesized and tested a variety of its chemical analogs and derivatives. Most of these derivatives were found ineffective or unsafe. However, one of the few exceptions was idebenone.

It is closely related to CoQ10 in its structure. However, idebnone is more effective than CoQ10 in protecting cells from the free radical damage resulting from reduced blood flow. What does all this have to do with skin care? Recently CoQ10 has been shown to improve skin wrinkles. Not surprisingly, some skin care companies decided that CoQ10 analogs might do a similar or better job. So, they found out that idebenone was also a good anti-wrinkle remedy. It’s important to realize that free radicals that form in the skin in response to the sun’s ultraviolet rays are largely responsible for wrinkling and other signs of aging.

To fight these damaging molecules, cosmetics chemists developed this topical antioxidant that’s even more powerful than natural antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. Results of a clinical trial were presented in February 2004 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. They wanted to find out which ingredient offered the best protection against free radicals. Well, it was idebenone that finished first against vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, kinetin, and alpha-lipoic acid. In terms of vitamin supplements as well as crowns, you can also ask a professional for details.