Eat it and wear it! It's hard not to get excited about Coenzyme Q-10. This anti-aging supplement known as Ubiquinone should be taken as a pill and put on top of the skin, its actions are that important.

Found in all your cells CoQ-10 protects cell membrane and mitochondria from UV rays and environmental and oxidative damage. Coenzyme Q10 also improves the function of the mitochondria, the machine that produces energy in cells. CoQ10 is necessary to produce ATP, what muscles use for energy. (Could coq10 deficiencies contribute to sagging facial muscles? Why take a chance!))

The High-Quality more Stable Coenzyme Q10 in a fermented soy base. I'm excited about this preservation discovery for skin! It works better, too! See study details. A Cheap capsule for adding to daily skin lotions TwinLab more absorbable product. 50 mg, 60 softgels Co Q-10 serum for wrinkles - I wouldn't trust the stability of the co q-10 in this, they make no mention of trying to preserve it, but you can buy the serum and add your own fresh co q-10 from a [quality] softgel [with not too much filler].

The heart and muscles got co Q-10 its good reputation but skin doctors and companies have been quick to realize its benefits for aging skin as well. Co Q-10 levels start to decline after 30 and that results in a diminished ability to produce collagen, elastin and more. It appears too that skin that is low in Co Q-10 may be more vulnerable to free radical damage.*

So the theory is that if we put Co Q-10 on our skin it can protect it from that free radical damage and perhaps damage in general AND help the skin to produce more collagen, elastin and other skin molecules! The good news, too, is that co Q-10 is a small molecule and therefore can penetrate skin cells easily so it can be added to your skin creams.

A 1999 study by German researchers showed that long-term use of Co Q-10 reduced crows feet an average of 23%! Upon learning this I pricked open a COQ10 gelcap and I squeezed the liquid co q-10 into my anti-aging anti-wrinkle body lotion and totally forgot I'd done it. After a few days I noticed that age spots on my legs were starting to fade.

Interestingly there were no improvements after a few days and it turns out that this is a fragile supplement that, like vitamin C, can be inactivated by the air. So for best results you have to open a new gelcap fresh every day or two.

A study in New Jersey did an interesting test with Co Q-10 both to try putting it in with fermented foods to see if that would increase stability )and it did, but it still wasn't completely shelf-stable) and to see if the fermented version worked better than the pure form, and it did... 9x better. The study looked at the effects of the co q10 on skin and they found that putting it in a simple Jergen's lotion provided an ample medium for penetration since the molecule penetrates easily. See the New Chapter version on the right to try a fermented version. I'm very excited about this, both for my body and my skin creams. Nine times more active is a lot! The same study, incidentally, also showed that as long as the skin is kept out of the sun, the co q10 can actually reverse aging damage!

At the same Co Q-10 level, the fermentation product was found to be 9.6 times more active than pure Co Q-10. Accelerated storage stability in both solid form and liquid form were also tested for those samples. Co Q-10 in the pure chemical form decomposed much faster than it did in the soy fermentation product.

I have a theory, though it's just a theory, that coenzyme q10 might help to prevent additional wrinkling from using facial muscles. Think about it: If it can protect the skin cells from environmental damage, toxin damage and sun damage, and protect the skin cell membrane, could it protect skin from squeezing damage (muscle use in facial expressions)? I believe that is what the German study participants experienced (and I think Alpha Lipoic Acid does the same thing).

Research shows that when the skin is exposed to UV rays and other environmental toxins or damage, Co Q-10 is quickly depleted - and its protective properties reduced as a result! It seems to me that more skin creams should add a hefty dose of this important supplement.

You can use a softgel/ gelcap to put it directly on your face. The upside is the Co Q-10 is great for your heart and other cells so you can use the top-absorption gelcap you buy for a supplement on your face and neck, even though the downside is you get this extra oil that the coq10 is packaged in on your skin, too! The powder - not as good to take internally - can also be mixed into creams. Mix well!

*Free radicals are particularly abundant in skin because it's exposed to the elements!