An MD Explains Why Your Skin Looks Dull (& Why No One's Talking About It)

"Glowing skin" is quite the buzzword in the beauty space—so much so that it may have lost its true meaning. Because let me be clear: Glowing skin goes way beyond aesthetics.

Sure, you can create an instant faux glow with self-tanner or a touch of highlighter (snag the St. Tropez Luxe Tan Tonic Drops, and trust me, you won't be sorry), but your skin also naturally has its own glow-inducing properties. And when your skin is so beautifully healthy, it quite literally shines. 

"People forget that you have autofluorescence, so your skin literally makes light," says personalized medicine physician and leading biohacker Molly Maloof, M.D., author of The Spark Factor, on the mindbodygreen podcast. That natural emission of light comes from the mitochondria, which are basically like your cellular batteries—they provide the energy needed for your entire body to function, including your skin cells. 

So the question becomes: How do you optimize your mitochondria in the name of skin health? Maloof has plenty of biohacking tips to browse here, but when it comes to your skin care routine, you'll want to make sure you're consuming (and using) enough antioxidants. 

Some of our favorites include astaxanthin, which protects the skin's collagen layer and has been shown to help reduce fine lines and age spots; vitamin C, which helps support your natural production of collagen2 (it's also known for giving you that coveted, even glow); and CoQ10, which has been clinically shown to support skin elasticity and smoothness3 while combating wrinkles. 

A little more info on the latter: Your cells actually need CoQ10 to produce energy4, and as CoQ10 decreases with age, so does mitochondrial activity and energy formation4. So if you're really serious about supercharging your mitochondria, you'll want to add the fat-soluble antioxidant to your rotation.