Today, many people around the world are concerned about their skin and they give a lot of importance to maintain a healthy skin and young appearance as much as possible. It has been said that the newest way to maintain a healthy skin is to consume oral substances which include vitamins and antioxidants. Studies have also shown that the antioxidants in certain vitamins like vitamin C or E have a great effect on protecting skin from sun damage. These vitamins also help us reduce the great damage in skin cells caused by harmful free radicals, which contribute to aging the skin. We also know that every day, our skin is exposed to environmental factors that can cause damage to it; such as: the cold weather which dries our skin; UVA and UVB electromagnetic radiation from the sun; smoke; polluted air; toxins in the household cleaning products; etc. One of the main components that have been found in these environmental factors is free radicals. An increase in production of free radicals or a decrease in the process of production of antioxidants is harmful to the skin and may lead to oxidative stress because antioxidants help skin cells fight against free radicals and prevent oxidation.

To represent the concept about skin care, I chose to paint two women looking at themselves in the mirror. On the left side of the canvas, I painted a woman who has a beautiful, healthy skin who seems to be very happy and on the other side we have a woman who is depressed because she has a very bad skin; damaged, dried and wrinkled. The woman who has a healthy skin, is because of her healthy way of taking care of her skin. She eats fresh fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidant properties to fight against free radicals that can cause damage to her skin. This is why I drew a basket full of fruits on her table and represent the molecules of a few main fruits such as ascorbic acid that comes from vitamin C found in fruits such as orange, strawberries, blueberries. I also drew the Retinoic acid molecule to represent vitamin A and the molecule of Tocopherol to represent vitamin E. The lady also has sunscreen on her table to show that even though she is having a little amount of sun exposure of UV light from the sun, which is coming through her window, she is still protecting her skin with sunscreen. I chose bright and colorful colors to represent the lady that has taken good care of her skin and to emphasize that fruits are essential with strong antioxidant properties. I also drew plants, because plants are living species that produce a large amount of antioxidants to prevent oxidative stress.

On the other half of the canvas, to represent free radicals I drew a lady with a bad skin who is exposed to high UV light from the sun which is coming directly through her window. Free radicals are molecules that have an unpaired electron and they are formed constantly through breathing. They are derived from oxygen, which is considered to be the most important class of radicals. What free radicals do is that they steal another electron from another molecule because they lack an electron themselves and in consequence this attack to get the missing molecule injures the cell and damages the DNA, leading to severe skin diseases. Therefore to symbolize the free radicals that come from UV light I drew molecules of free radicals such as superoxide O₂^•- and hydroxyl OH^•. To represent the bad and evil side of the free radicals I drew two little devils that are crashing a skin cell. Each is represented with red color to enhance the mean and evil side of free radicals. Finally, another factor that contributes to the bad skin is shown by my drawing of bottles of alcohol and smoke. The smoke that is coming out of the cigarette has free radicals such as nitric oxide NO^•, and hydroxyl radicals OH^•. I chose dark colors to show the harmful factors that produce free radicals and cause skin damage and to show the contrast to the other side.

Based on the development of organic chemistry, nowadays people are more aware of what cause damage to their health in general and to the skin in particular; therefore, they are more informed about how they can protect their health. The results of the findings of many research in the field of organic chemistry provides more access to a variety of health and skin products with affordable prices.