Anti-aging with coenzyme Q10 and selenium

Supplements help to ensure that the skin cells get the right nutrition throughout life.

If the skin is not nursed from the inside, it will eventually show on the outside, no matter how many expensive beauty products you use. On the other hand, health and beauty will shine through in spite of slightly weather-beaten cheeks and visible crow's feet. The question is how you would like to age? The advantage of nurturing your skin from the inside with all the right nutrients is that they also benefit your general health. In other words, you are not just doing your skin a favor - you are doing the right thing for your entire body.

The cosmetics industry has always been searching for "miracle ingredients" that give facial creams more than just a moisturizing effect. This is why things like Q10, zinc, vitamin A and other active compounds are added to expensive skin products. As a clever marketing trick, the industry ties all kinds of beauty claims to their "improved products".

What the consumers are blissfully unaware of is that it is a far better strategy to provide the skin with these active nutrients from the inside - carried directly to each skin cell with the bloodstream. With supplements, these active ingredients are taken directly to the "production site" of new skin cells, offering optimal conditions for the production of viable and healthy skin cells. This is something a topical skincare product would never be able to.

Creams typically only affect the outer skin layer that consist of dead skin cells. Once skin cells have reached this layer, it is too late to affect them nutritionally. Supplements, on the other hand, ensure that the skin cells get the right nutrition through every stage of their life cycle.

Skin energy with coenzyme Q10

When browsing through the aisles of a beauty department, have you ever noticed all the skincare products with "Q10" on the label? Q10 is serious stuff and not just a marketing gimmick. All human cells need coenzyme Q10 to produce energy - even skin cells.
We actually produce our own Q10, but as we grow older our endogenous production goes down. Adding Q10 to anti-aging creams makes sense. However, the problem is that in order for Q10 to make a difference, it must reach the cells. The amount of Q10 that is able to penetrate the skin and enter the skin cells is negligible. If you want Q10 to make a difference, you have to ingest it in the form of food or supplements.

Like all other cells, skin cells slow down and malfunction when they lack Q10.

Increasing your intake of Q10, on the other hand, can improve their energy turnover, helping skin cells to stay youthful. Q10 is an important fat-soluble antioxidant that is active inside cells. Like vitamin C, Q10 is able to can repair and recycle vitamin E that has been damaged by free radicals.

Q10 is primarily found in meat, organ meat, fish, nuts, seeds and leafy greens.

Suggested Q10 intake (supplementation): 30-100 mg daily

Youthful cells with selenium

Selenium is a trace element, which most of us get too little of from our diets. Selenium is an important part of the body's defense mechanism against aging of cells, among other things. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant with numerous rejuvenating properties. With too little selenium in our system, cells become easier targets for viruses, cancers, and premature aging.
There are large areas of Europe where agricultural crops contain very little selenium, simply because the soil is selenium deficient. This shortage is associated with many serious diseases that occur as a result of cellular ageing.

Selenium also helps maintain normal hair and normal nails. Lack of selenium, on the other hand, contributes to skin diseases such as psoriasis, fungus and dandruff.

Selenium is primarily found in fish, organ meats, shellfish and seeds.

Suggested selenium intake (supplementation): 100-200 micrograms daily.

Water and a varied diet

Your skin, hair and nails need many nutrients if you want to look fresh and maintain the right "glow". A varied diet with plenty of vegetables and greens, wholegrain and other nutrient-rich foods is always advisable. Also, make sure to get enough clean water every day along with healthy fats, as the skin is often the last organ to claim its share of vital fats and moisture. The amount of water needed depends on your lifestyle, but 4-6 large glasses of water a day is normally enough.