What are the benefits of honey for aging skin? There are actually a number of benefits, depending on the type of honey you are talking about.
Not all varieties are the same.
Different varieties are produced by honeybees depending on the plant they prefer to gather from or the kinds of plants where the beekeepers are located.
One of the most common varieties that you see in grocery stores is clover honey.
The bees gather nectar from clover, almost exclusively.
This is a favourite variety for eating because of the uniform sweetness.
When nectar is gathered from only one variety of plant, the result is referred to as "mono-floral".
Some mono-floral varieties may only be available at certain times of the year.
Some are only found in certain countries.
Manuka, for example, is a variety that is primarily found in New Zealand and Australia.
The honeybees gather nectar exclusively from the manuka bush.
The plant is not only responsible for the honey's taste, but also for the nutritional content and any medicinal value.
All honeys have some medicinal value, especially when it comes to wound healing.
This value is believed to be due to natural peroxide activity and also to the way that when it is applied to wound, it can prevent microbes from entering the wound.
The wound-healing activity is one of the benefits of honey for aging skin, since the skin's thickness often reduces with age, allowing it to be damaged more easily.
There is also an increased risk of serious infections with age.
Another benefit has to do with the antioxidant activity.
The antioxidant content varies greatly from one variety to another.
Antioxidants are important to the skin's health because they help to prevent and reverse free radical damage.
Our skin is damaged by free radicals when we spend too much time in the sun and when we are exposed to toxins.
Even oxygen can have some damaging effects, but of course we have to have it.
Antioxidants include common vitamins like A, C and D.
They also include unique and more potent ones like coenzyme Q10.
One of the reasons experts sometimes recommend honey for aging skin is to help reverse fine lines, wrinkles, age spots and other visible signs that are caused by free radical damage.
Which antioxidants are present is a question that some researchers have looked at, but it is not an easy one to answer.
Not only does the content vary from one variety to another.
It also varies with the season.
Some of the better anti-aging creams contain the manuka variety because it is supposed to have higher antioxidant activity than other varieties.
Manuka also has proven antimicrobial activity that may help to heal up blemishes and prevent new ones from forming.
It may also prevent fungal infections and generally make your skin healthier.
So, those are the benefits of honey for aging skin.
It's not the only thing you need for a youthful complexion, but it is one of the good natural choices.
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