Ubiquinone, also called coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10, has antioxidant properties, helps produce energy within cells and is involved in cell regeneration. The body produces this enzyme on its own, but lower levels can occur due to stress and use of certain medications. In addition, CoQ10 levels in the body nearly always decrease as a person ages, notes SmartSkinCare.com. CoQ10 is available as an oral supplement and is also included in a variety of cosmetics and skin care products.
Antioxidant Benefits
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which are waste products in the body resulting from the metabolism of food into energy and from exposure to environmental toxins, such as tobacco smoke and vehicle exhaust. These free radicals alter cell membranes and cause cell death. Free radicals appear to increase negative effects of the aging process and contribute to health problems such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to Adventist Healthcare. As an antioxidant, coenzyme Q10 can eliminate these free radicals, thus decreasing and preventing some of their adverse effects. Skin is vulnerable to free radicals because of its exposure to ultraviolet light, air pollution and other harmful environmental factors. Skin with low levels of coenzyme Q10 may be more susceptible to free radical damage, explains SmartSkinCare.com, and the enzyme may stimulate skin repair and regeneration.
Anti-Aging Benefits
Coenzyme Q10 levels are highest in early adulthood and then decline steadily, explains biochemist Roland Stocker, professor at the University of New South Wales, writing at the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University website. When levels of coenzyme Q10 in the skin are low, the skin has less ability to produce collagen and elastin, which are important for skin firmness, smoothness and flexibility. Coenzyme Q10 applied to skin can penetrate layers and reduce the severity of wrinkles.
Protection Against Photoaging
Coenzyme Q10 is very effective in protecting certain skin cells from oxidative damage to DNA caused by ultraviolet light, as noted by Stocker. A study published in "Biofactors" in 1999 explains that cellular oxidation is associated with the processes of aging and photoaging. Photoaging involves skin damage due to ultraviolet light exposure over many years. The study authors investigated the effects of topical coenzyme Q10 on preventing photoaging. In the study, coenzyme Q10 penetrated into living cell layers of the epidermis, located under the uppermost layer consisting of dead skin cells, and decreased oxidation levels there, thus exhibiting a protective effect. A decrease in wrinkle depth following this topical application also occurred.
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