BENEFITS OF VITAMIN C IN SKIN CARE
Vitamin C is one of the most exciting, research-proven ingredients you can apply to skin. This water-soluble antioxidant is a natural component of healthy skin. When we're young, vitamin C levels in skin's primary layers (epidermis, which constitutes the outer layers, and dermis, the middle layer) are abundant, but as we age, these levels naturally deplete. Unprotected sun exposure (UV damage) and pollution can accelerate this decline, leading to skin looking and feeling dull, uneven, and less firm than it once was.
Luckily, there are topical skin care solutions that can help mitigate this damage, so skin looks and feels healthier and younger longer.
Vitamin C benefits for skin
Vitamin C’s benefits for skin are vast. Here are some of the key benefits:
- It promotes collagen production, which has the potential to thicken the dermis, diminish fine lines and wrinkles, and is essential for firm, youthful skin.
- It also inhibits melanin production in the skin, which helps to lighten hyperpigmentation and brown spots, even out skin tone, and enhance skin radiance.
- On top of that, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and thus protects skin cells from harmful effects of photo-oxidation by neutralizing damaging free radicals (Reactive Oxygen Species) caused by UV exposure. In other words, vitamin C provides you with an extra layer of protection against any UV rays that evade the sunscreen.
- This synergy of mitigating problems both before and after they occur makes vitamin C a force to be reckoned with, especially, since, it also helps to repair damage from sun exposure and collagen loss by encouraging healthy cell turnover and regeneration.
Forms of vitamin C in skin care
There are many forms of vitamin C for skin, and while they all have antioxidant benefits, some types of vitamin C work better in skin care formulas than others.
Ascorbic acid—also known as L-ascorbic acid—has the most skin-related research of any form of vitamin C. When properly formulated at a pH of less than 4 (2.6-3.2 is the ideal range), this form helps create younger-looking, firmer-feeling skin while fading signs of uneven skin tone and spots. Ascorbic acid also helps skin’s surface defend itself from free radicals and external stressors, lessening the effects of exposure to the elements.
Other beneficial forms that have notable research demonstrating their efficacy include sodium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate 3-O ethyl ascorbic acid, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and ascorbyl glucoside.
Just keep in mind that vitamin C is extremely sensitive to air and light and will break down over time if routinely exposed to them. If you want to get the best possible results from your vitamin C serum or moisturizer it needs to be in an opaque, air-restrictive bottle or pump container to help ensure the ingredients remain stable. A vitamin C cream that comes in a jar, unfortunately, won’t remain effective for long. Always check expiration dates on your products, and if you notice a sour smell or discoloration, it’s most likely breaking down.
There are many forms of vitamin C for skin, and while they all have antioxidant benefits, some types of vitamin C work better in skin care formulas than others.
Ascorbic acid—also known as L-ascorbic acid—has the most skin-related research of any form of vitamin C. When properly formulated at a pH of less than 4 (2.6-3.2 is the ideal range), this form helps create younger-looking, firmer-feeling skin while fading signs of uneven skin tone and spots. Ascorbic acid also helps skin’s surface defend itself from free radicals and external stressors, lessening the effects of exposure to the elements.
Other beneficial forms that have notable research demonstrating their efficacy include sodium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate 3-O ethyl ascorbic acid, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and ascorbyl glucoside.
Just keep in mind that vitamin C is extremely sensitive to air and light and will break down over time if routinely exposed to them. If you want to get the best possible results from your vitamin C serum or moisturizer it needs to be in an opaque, air-restrictive bottle or pump container to help ensure the ingredients remain stable. A vitamin C cream that comes in a jar, unfortunately, won’t remain effective for long. Always check expiration dates on your products, and if you notice a sour smell or discoloration, it’s most likely breaking down.
Vitamin C skin products
Research shows that high strengths of vitamin C (10% and higher - typically found in targeted treatments or serums) are particularly effective and provide a host of benefits for skin. If your skin looks dull or its tone is uneven, regardless of your skin type, a lightweight liquid 15% vitamin C booster is ideal for layering. If stubborn dark spots are more of your concern, a richer-textured 25% vitamin C treatment works great for delivery into skin wherever discolorations and dullness are noticeable or speak to your dermatologist about getting prescription strength hydroquinone (4% or slightly higher).
Lower concentrations of vitamin C are good for your skin as well, providing cumulative benefits in leave-on products such as moisturizers, eye creams, and serums. In fact, research has shown that concentrations as low as 0.6% provide antioxidant and anti-aging benefits to skin. Lower strengths of vitamin C also help enhance the benefits of other youth-preserving ingredients such as retinol and ceramides.
What to look for
You can maximize the benefits of vitamin C by combining it with other antioxidants. This works best with other antioxidants, such as, vitamin E and ferulic acid. Some Vitamin C serums come with these ingredients to also stabilize Vitamin C during storage. Together, all these ingredients have optimal absorption benefits when it comes to anti-aging, skin brightening, and protection against free radical damage.
Vitamin C also plays well with hyaluronic acid. However, do not mix vitamin C with a retinol or niacinamide, because the pH levels are incompatible. If you want to use both, you might want to wait half an hour between applications.
When and how to use it
Apply vitamin C as a serum in the mornings — that is, after cleansing and before applying moisturizer and sunscreen. The best vitamin C skin care products are serums because they are more effective at penetrating the skin barrier than, say, a cream or toner.
Then, be patient. Most skin care products take time to start working, and vitamin C takes a little longer, even with daily use. You won’t notice any significant changes in your skin for six to eight weeks. If you have sensitive skin, do a skin test first, as the high acidity can be irritating.
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ReplyDeleteis there any particular brand of Vit C that you recommend ?
Thank you for your question. VICHY 15% Vitamin C serum is an excellent product. It has Vitamin E as w ell as fragmented hyaluronic acid. You can buy it from any drug store or Target.
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