Antioxidants for Skin: Foods and Nutrients That Protect Against Pigmentation
Do you know there might be free radicals crawling under your skin that make you age and trigger your pigmentation? But antioxidants do just the right job to fight them all and promote a youthful and healthy glow. You can get antioxidants for skin pigmentation with an antipigmentation diet that prevents free radicals from damaging skin any further.
Antioxidants for skin offer protective nutrition that stops pigmentation before it starts and helps in fading away existing issues. Therefore, you need to add foods that prevent pigmentation to protect your skin from within by controlling melanin overproduction. While it works on a protective approach, complementing protective nutrition with topical antioxidants can correct your skin issues and offer youthful skin health.
In this blog, we will discuss how free radicals damage the skin and how antioxidants help in dealing with the issues. Moreover, get to know about top antioxidant foods and practical daily strategies to ensure implementation of an antioxidant-rich diet. Furthermore, also get to know how topical and dietary solutions can give you clear skin with Wisdom Pharms’s top topical solutions for pigmentation.
Understanding Free Radicals and Pigmentation
Free radicals have a systemic mechanism through which they trigger pigmentation in the body that results in dark spots, melasma, freckles, and dull skin. To understand the process, start with what free radicals are.
What are Free Radicals
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage the DNA inside the cells. They are either created in the body or produced from external sources. Some common oxidative stress sources are pollution, poor diet, environmental stress, smoking, and alcohol.
These unstable atoms damage cells, DNA, and proteins, and contribute to aging and harmful diseases like cancer. They damage the cells that trigger melanin production to protect the skin from damage. As a result, pigmentation occurs.
They are constantly present in our body due to the modern stressful life that forces the body to produce oxidative stress. However, free radicals are easily managed with healthy antioxidant-rich foods and a healthy lifestyle.
How Free Radicals Trigger Pigmentation
Free radical exposure, either from metabolic processes or external sources, creates oxidative stress in the skin cells. As the body’s natural defense response, it increases melanin production to reduce skin cell damage. As a result, melanin causes dark spots and pigmentation. Thus, the more the free radical exposure, the more melanin production will be to make skin tan, hyperpigmented, and spotty.
How It Affects Your Skin
Free radical damage can affect your skin in multiple ways that directly lead to aging and dullness. It damages the skin cells and DNA that affects collagen and elastin in the skin which causes skin sagging, wrinkles, and fine lines.
Moreover, internal or external oxidative stress weakens the skin barrier which makes it highly prone to pigmentation triggers. Thus, a weakened skin barrier attracts inflammation, such as itching, acne, or rashes that leave post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Antioxidants as a Defense System
Antioxidants in the skin work as bodyguards for your skin cells against free radicals. They neutralize the free radicals' skin damage and prevent them from damaging the skin. Various types of antioxidants work differently. Some work strongly while others have mild action. Therefore, a consistent dietary and topical regimen of antioxidants for skin pigmentation helps in dealing with all kinds of skin damage effectively.
Prevention Versus Correction
There are a lot of brightening creams in markets and online stores. They may not work effectively. Because the internal oxidative stress and free radicals cause serious damage that make topical solutions ineffective. However, taking antioxidants in the diet creates a prevention mechanism in the skin.
Combining the prevention-focused properties of antioxidants and the correction-focused approach of topical brightening products can make a huge difference in your skin tone.
Factors that Influence Free Radical Damage
There are various internal as well as external factors that determine how much damage free radicals will have on the skin. Such as:
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Genetics
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Metabolic system
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Sun exposure in your area
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Pollution
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Stress Level
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Dietary habits
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Age
Free radical damages skin in serious ways by increasing oxidative stress in the body which results in hyperpigmentation. Therefore, understanding it creates awareness about the use of antioxidant foods for pigmentation.
Best Antioxidant Foods for Skin Protection
Antioxidants perform a wondrous effect on skin protection. They are found in several easily available Pakistani foods that you can access easily. Below are some best antioxidant foods for skin protection against hyperpigmentation and oxidative stress that you can easily find in Pakistani markets.
Category 1: Berry Antioxidants
Berries are sweet, flavourful, and crave-worthy fruits. But, not only do they fulfill your sugar cravings, but they also offer antioxidant protection to your skin against free radical damage. They make your skin glow from the inside.
Blueberries
Blueberries are not commonly found in Pakistan or if available, they are expensive. However, those who can afford them can get magical benefits.
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Primary antioxidant: Anthocyanins (blue pigment)
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Benefits: Blueberries are a source of the strongest free radical protection available in foods. Moreover, they also have anti-inflammatory properties that inhibit the cause of inflammation that leads to hyperpigmentation
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How to eat: You can eat them fresh, frozen, mix them in smoothies, with yogurt, in oatmeal, or in salads.
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Pakistani availability: You may not find fresh blueberries locally in Pakistan. However, you may buy frozen blueberries in superstores.
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Daily amount: Consuming only half a cup of blueberries provides adequate antioxidants that you need to fight off oxidative stress.
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Storage Tips: If you can’t get your hands on fresh ones every day, freeze them seasonally. Freezing blueberries maintains their antioxidant qualities as effectively as fresh ones.
Blackberries and Raspberries
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Primary Antioxidants: These berries contain Anthocyanins and ellagic acid
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Benefits: Blackberries and raspberries are very high in antioxidants that flush out all the toxins from the body which helps in brighter and younger-looking skin.
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How to Eat: You may eat them fresh, add to your salad bowls, mix them with yogurts, cereals, smoothies, or however you like to eat. You may also freeze them for year-round use.
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Pakistani Availability: These berries are not usually locally found in Pakistan. You can get them from urban superstores.
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Daily Amount: Your body requires half a cup of berries every day to fulfill its antioxidant requirements.
Strawberries
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Primary Antioxidants: The primary antioxidants found in strawberries are ellagic acid and Vitamin C. Both of them protect skin against free radicals.
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Benefits: Strawberries provide adequate antioxidants to the cells that help them fight free radicals. Moreover, the Vitamin C content boosts the brightening effect.
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How to eat: Eat strawberries fresh. Blend them in smoothies or add them to salads. Prefer eating raw forms rather than processed ones to get maximum benefits. Furthermore, eat them within 2-3 days of plucking to maintain the nature of antioxidants.
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Pakistani Availability: Among other berries, strawberries are easily found locally in Pakistan. In season, they are highly affordable so that everyone can afford to buy.
Category 2: Cruciferous and Leafy Greens
Adding leafy green vegetables to your diet can make a huge difference. They can purify all the toxins from the cells and promote a radiant glow and clear skin.
Spinach and Kale
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Primary Antioxidants: Primary antioxidants in spinach and kale are Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and chlorophyll.
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Benefits: Left greens support deep body detoxification by flushing out all the toxins and reverse free radical damage. It helps in targeting multiple types of free radicals making it an effective food to get clear skin.
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How to Eat: To eat leafy greens, try to lightly cook them to preserve antioxidants. You can add them to your cooked curries, daals, or salads.
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Pakistani Context: In Pakistan, leafy greens are culturally familiar like methi (fenugreek), Saag, and Spinach (Palak). They are affordable and easily available all year round the year.
BRoccoli
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Primary Antioxidants: Broccoli is rich in Sulforaphane and Vitamin C
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Benefits: Broccoli contains cancer-fighting properties that rejuvenate cells and protect skin. Moreover, vitamin C induces skin-brightening benefits.
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How to eat: You can eat broccoli in multiple ways. You can either add them raw to your salads, lightly steam them as sides to your meal, or add them to curries. Eat them right away after cooking them as delay can lead to antioxidant degradation.
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Pakistan Context: In Pakistani urban stores, you can easily find broccoli all around the year round.
Category 3: Spices and Herbs
Spices are often misjudged as harmful to skin health. However, the right spices and herbs can transform your skin. They can help in keeping your skin and body healthy.
Turmeric
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Primary Antioxidants: Curcumin (Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound)
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Benefits: Turmeric is highly efficient in reducing inflammation in the body. When inflammation reduces, it reduces melanin production. Moreover, curcumin also neutralizes free radicals which brightens skin.
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How to Eat: Eat turmeric by adding it to milk to make golden milk or add in everyday curries. Use black pepper with turmeric to boost absorption.
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Pakistani context: Turmeric is a staple spice in Pakistani cuisine. Most Pakistani dishes are made with turmeric. Consuming them daily in everyday food increases antioxidants in the body.
Cinnamon
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Primary Antioxidants: Cinnamaldehyde and polyphenols
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Benefits: Along with providing radical protection, cinnamon also helps in blood sugar regulation. It improves insulin resistance, which controls melanin production to boost skin brightening.
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How to Eat: You can consume it in versatile ways. Drink cinnamon tea daily. Sprinkle it on yogurts, in desserts, or in curries.
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Pakistani context: Cinnamon is widely used in Pakistani curries so it becomes easy to incorporate it in everyday meals.
Ginger
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Primary Antioxidants: Gingerol that warms the body and provides antioxidant properties
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Benefits: Ginger serves anti-inflammatory benefits to the body which supports anti-pigmentation properties. Therefore, with constant use, you may get clear skin.
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How to Eat: Either cook ginger in your dishes or garnish freshly chopped ginger for added flavour. Moreover, you can also consume ginger tea for reduced inflammation. Use at least 1 inch of ginger every day.
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Pakistani context: Fresh ginger is affordable and easily available all around Pakistan. It is commonly used in Pakistani cuisine.
Category 4: Dark Chocolate and Cocoa
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Primary Antioxidant: Flavonoids and polyphenols
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Benefits: Consuming dark chocolate provides powerful antioxidant protection and improves blood circulation in the body which promotes a natural glow.
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How to eat: Eat only 1 or two squares of dark chocolate daily. Also, eat only dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate as the latter contains sugar which compromises its effectiveness.
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Pakistani context: In Pakistan dark chocolate is not commonly found and is more expensive than milk chocolate but gives better benefits.
Category 5: Beverages
Green Tea
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Primary Antioxidants: EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate)
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Benefits: Everyday use of green tea can provide sun protection, offer a mild brightening effect, and offer strong free radical protection.
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How to Drink: Green tea contains caffeine, which affects sleep, so consume it before 3 to 4 PM to avoid sleep disruptions. Drink 2-3 cups daily.
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Preparation: Do not boil green tea. Rather steep it for 3-5 minutes to avoid degrading antioxidants.
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Pakistani Context: A variety of green tea options are available in Pakistan and come at an affordable price range. You can either buy green tea bags from stores or traditional teas locally.
Pomegranate Juice
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Primary Antioxidants: Punicalagins
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Benefits: Drinking or eating fresh pomegranates gives powerful free radical protection. Also, you can get UV protection for skin that effectively protects against harmful heat and sun exposure in Pakistan.
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How to Eat: Drink freshly pressed pomegranate juice for clear skin or eat whole seeds. Consume it freshly rather than preserved for maximum benefits.
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Pakistani context: Pomegranate is a seasonal fruit in Pakistan, which becomes widely available in local markets and stores.
These are just a few of the antioxidant foods for clear skin that are easily available in the Pakistani market. You can add them gradually to your diet and switch your diet from unhealthy to skin-supporting foods. This way you can achieve a youthful glow forever.
Antioxidant Synergy and Combination Strategy
Free radicals are of different kinds. They target different body parts in various ways. Therefore, taking a single source of antioxidants may not be as effective as is considered. Every antioxidant works differently in the body. Each supports a specific cellular function. Therefore, you should opt for a balanced diet that provides broader antioxidant advantages that stays for long.
Why Combining Antioxidants Matters
Free Radicals are different. They can be produced due to different reasons like sun exposure, pollution, stress, poor sleep, or an unhealthy diet. These varying radicals cause various types of oxidative damage to the cellular functions in the body.
Thus, to free your skin and body from all sorts of oxidants, you need a variety of antioxidant foods for skin brightening. They help protect the body and skin by neutralizing all types of free radicals. By incorporating a variety in your diet, you can improve absorption and fulfil your nutrient deficiencies, and get long-term skin and health benefits.
You can try various meal combinations to get all the antioxidants in your body. For instance:
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Salads with berries, nuts, spinach, broccoli, and more. Sprinkle some turmeric and black pepper on it to get multiple antioxidants in one plate.
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Have 2-3 cups of green tea every day with dark chocolate and berries for a powerful boost of antioxidants
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Have turmeric milk with a pinch of cinnamon at night to promote overnight protection against free radicals.
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Add turmeric to your everyday curries
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Replace your unhealthy snacks with dark chocolate, seasonal fruits, and green tea.
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Find out about various antioxidant-rich foods for skin and try the rainbow technique to get the most fruits or vegetables on your plate for maximum benefits.
Antioxidants as Prevention, Not Correction
Before you vigorously start stuffing yourself with antioxidant-rich foods for clear and glowing skin, you need to understand the preventive role of antioxidants.
What Antioxidants Do?
Free radical damage from various sources like pollution, stress, unhealthy diet, smoking, and UV exposure can damage your skin. All of these can cause stubborn pigmentation as they trigger melanin production as the skin’s natural defense against damage.
However, antioxidants fight off these free radicals and prevent new pigmentation from forming. With gradual dietary intake,e you may experience reduced pigmentation and dark spots as no new pigmentation forms.
What Antioxidants Don’t Do
Antioxidant-rich foods are prevention-focused. They prevent new pigmentation from occurring. However, they play no role in correcting existing ones. They do not fade away dark spots or hyperpigmentation that has already formed. So, when using it, do not expect your foods to remove all your imperfections
Prevention vs. Correction Timeline
You can get antioxidants in two ways: dietary or topical. Both of these approaches work differently as topical offers correction while antioxidant foods help prevent pigmentation. Therefore, with two varying approaches, both require different timelines to show effective results.
Antioxidant-based prevention works over time as it requires time to reduce oxidative stress, calm inflammation, and inhibit melanin pathways. Therefore, this whole process can take a few months to flush out all toxins and create a toxin-free cellular function. They do not fade any dark spots but prevent new ones from developing. In short, the preventative antioxidants like Glutathione, Vitamin C, polyphenols, etc. offer long-lasting results in evening skin tone.
On the other hand, topical treatments offer a faster correction approach. Topical treatments correct existing pigmentation within a few weeks as it targets pigmentation on the skin’s surface. They contain ingredients like alpha arbutin, kojic acid, niacinamide, AHAs, BHAs, and retinoids. They help in breaking down melanin activity in the skin and correct pigmentation by exfoliating skin cells. The topical approach helps in fading dark spots, and uneven skin tone. However, the results are only external. The pigmentation usually returns after stopping treatment.
In short, prevention and correction serve different purposes. Dietary antioxidants prevent internal reasons that cause pigmentation by targeting the root causes. While topical treatments correct existing pigmentation by working on the skin surface. The most effective skin brightening strategy is to use both approaches. When combined, prevention and correction approaches serve long-lasting brightening results in the whole body rather than any targeted area.
Preserving Antioxidants in Food
While eating antioxidant foods is important, more important is to eat them in the right way. Eating, preparing, and storing your food can make a big difference in the antioxidant properties of food. Poor cooking, improper storage, and delayed consumption can degrade antioxidants. As a result of a decrease in antioxidant potency, the health and skin benefits are limited.
Heat and Cooking
Excessive heating as we do in Pakistan, foods lose their benefits. Cooking at high temperatures for longer times can deteriorate beneficial compounds like Vitamin C, glutathione, and other antioxidants. Therefore, you should:
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Light cooking: Choose light cooking methods, such as steaming or lightly sautéing vegetables, to preserve their benefits rather than heavy boiling or deep-frying. Cooking at extreme temperatures leads to antioxidant loss in vegetables.
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Turmeric benefits from Heat: While some antioxidants lose their benefits from cooking or heating, turmeric benefits from gentle heating. If you prepare golden milk with turmeric in warm milk or lightly cook turmeric in the oil, you can improve curcumin absorption in the body which leads to maximum benefits.
Storage Practices
When exposed to heat, light, or air, antioxidants degrade. Therefore, you should either eat them right away or store them properly which does not lead to their nutritional loss. Some storage practices are:
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Store fruits and vegetables in cool and dark places or store them in refrigerator drawers for freshness.
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After purchasing, use the vegetables or fruits within 2-3 days. Otherwise, the potency diminishes.
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Avoid consuming fruits or vegetables cut a long time ago as oxidation causes antioxidants to lose rapidly.
Freezing Benefits
Freezing is an effective way of preserving antioxidants in foods without losing their taste.
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Freeze berries as they retain antioxidants extremely well. So, if you are planning to buy a stock of berries, freeze them to maintain potency rather than storing them for days.
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Do not thaw them until just before consumption.
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Frozen fruits offer a chance to keep seasonal fruits available year-round without losing their benefits.
Practical Strategy
Rather than storing fruits and vegetables for long, prioritize consuming fresh and locally available produce. Use frozen foods only for backup for year-round use. Remember the preparation and storage methods to preserve antioxidants and maximize the benefits.
Holistic Skin Protection Strategy
Healthy, even-toned skin is not achieved through a single product or ingredient. Antioxidants work best when positioned within a complete, holistic skincare approach that supports the skin from both inside and outside.
Antioxidants as Part of a Comprehensive Strategy
Antioxidants play a preventive role. They reduce oxidative stress, neutralize free radicals, and help slow down the formation of new pigmentation. Dietary intake gives internal antioxidant support. However, topical treatments target visible pigmentation like dullness, dark spots, and uneven skin tone. Moreover, lifestyle factors reduce oxidative stress production, such as sleep quality, stress levels, and sun protection. Therefore, combining all these can create stronger and more sustainable results rather than relying on a single approach.
Dietary antioxidants protect cells internally as a defense mechanism against stressors. Antioxidant foods like seeds, berries, green tea, dark chocolate, etc can help achieve skin clarity. To complement a holistic skin clarity and healthier skin, you need to pair your antioxidant foods for clear skin with topical treatments.
Wisdom Pharma offers a holistic skin-clearing skincare range. It includes brightening face washes, serums, creams, moisturizers, sunscreen, and body lotions in Pakistan. They help in building an extra layer of defense as well as a brightening effect on the skin’s surface.
Conclusively, adding both approaches to your life can change your skin. Get internal protection with diet and external transformation with topical treatments.
Top picks from Wisdom Pharma
Wisdom Pharma is a well-known and affordable Pakistani skincare brand that offers a wide range of corrective skincare. It has a huge variety of skincare products that work against pigmentation, UV exposure, and signs of aging. Here's what you can buy:
These products contain a whole package of your everyday brightening skincare routine.
Conclusion
Free radicals in the body can damage your skin and let pigmentation triggers overpower your healthy skin. They can make your skin dull, dark, and spotty. They stay deeply rooted in skin cells, so no skincare products work to get clear skin. Therefore, you must resort to antioxidant-rich foods for clear skin that transform your body from within.
Antioxidant foods for skin brightening contain berries, leafy greens, turmeric, ginger, etc. These fruits, vegetables, and spices can make you look younger by fighting oxidative stress and reducing inflammation. To maximize the benefits of antioxidant-rich diets, pair them with brightening topical treatments that offer targeted brightening and external protection. For this, you can try safe, high-quality, and dermatologically recommended products from Wisdom Pharma. They have a huge range of pigmentation-reducing creams, sunscreens, and other skincare products. So, revamp your skincare shelves with Wisdom Pharma where products come in handy, are affordable, and provide promised results.
