Beauty cosmetics may be applied as a creams or serums or can be taken by mouth in the form of supplements that give to the body precious substances beneficial to counteract from the inside aging, dull skin and wrinkles. Science is dedicating much attention to test the effects of the supplements on the skin and a research, released just a few months ago (Vollmer et al, Int J Mol Sci, Oct 2018), analyzed the state of the art of such studies that can be considered really promising. Today we’ll see the action and benefits of the coenzyme Q 10.
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q 10 is a substance that is found in animal tissues. Discovered in quite recent times, it was the 50s, it is now the subject of several scientific studies. Coenzyme Q10 plays indeed a pivotal role in the production of energy at a cellular level, it protects from the damages of free radicals, from heart diseases, neurodegenerative illnesses and hypertension. Coenzyme Q10 has also a targeted action on the skin by protecting it from aging. The human body is able to synthetize the coenzyme Q10 but during the years this substance tends physiologically to decrease. For this reason, it may be necessary to integrate this substance through diet, a good source are indeed meat, eggs, milk and dairy products, dry fruits especially walnuts, anchovies, vegetables such as spinach, cereals, soy, or also through supplements. Generally, the coenzyme Q 10 - based supplements, but also the numerous face creams enriched with this substance that in INCI appears with the name Ubiquinone, are thought to take benefit from the action of the coenzyme Q10 on the skin. This compound is able indeed to reduce the production of free radicals (Beyer, Free Radic Biol Med, 1990), it protects the tissues from the sun damages, helps regenerate them and counteracts skin spots and wrinkles (Inui et al, Biofactors, 2008) by promoting the production of collagen and elastin. Coenzyme Q 10, both in the form taken by mouth or applied as a cream, has a powerful action on the wrinkles and gives a homogeneous and luminous color to the skin, it fights skin spots and photo aging. Moreover, coenzyme Q 10 shows also a beneficial action in case of psoriasis, but only if taken as a supplement (Kharaeva et al, Nutrition, 2009). Scientific studies have also demonstrated that coenzyme Q 10 based supplements are efficient to reduce the wrinkles that appear on the upper lip and at the corners of the mouth by making the skin smoother (Zmitek et al, Biofactors, Jan 2017).
