Whats A Vitamin C Serum
If you have your head in the skin care game, youve likely heard of vitamin C serums.
Vitamin C is touted as one of the best ingredients on the market for pro-aging support and the key to maintaining a smooth, even, and glowy complexion.
Although youre probably getting vitamin C in your diet, theres no way to guarantee its going straight to your skin. Using serums and other topical products is the most direct way to reap these benefits.
Read on to learn why you should add vitamin C serum to your routine, how to introduce a new product, and more.
Whether its a tried-and-true skin care regimen, how often you wash your hair, or the cosmetics youre curious about, beauty is personal.
Thats why we rely on a diverse group of writers, educators, and other experts to share their tips on everything from the way product application varies to the best sheet mask for your individual needs.
There are plenty of benefits to using vitamin C on your skin. For example, vitamin C:
- is safe for most skin types
- provides hydration
It Improves Skin Tone Texture And Hyperpigmentation
This amazing vitamin has even more benefits beyond reducing signs of aging, too. If youre wondering, Does vitamin C lighten skin hyperpigmentation?, youre in luck: Vitamin C inhibits the enzyme tyrosinase, suppressing melanin production, which helps to fade hyperpigmentation like age spots, melasma, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation .
What Is Vitamin C Serum
Vitamin C serum is a topical skin treatment that has been shown to help improve the look of scars, sun spots, and age spots. It’s a great way to keep your skin looking young and healthy, without having to resort to expensive skin-care products. Make sure you’re using a high-quality serum because not all brands are created equal in terms of efficacy. Apply it every morning and evening after your skincare routine.
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How To Apply Vitamin C Serum
First, youll want to test the product to make sure your skin doesnt react negatively to it. Heres the three step process:
Once you are ready to apply, check the product label for detailed instructions. Typically, you will apply twice a day after cleansing and toning, then put moisturizer over the vitamin C serum.
Why Try A Facial Treatment
To reap these benefits, youll generally want to apply vitamin C topically.
Oral vitamin C supplements offer a number of health benefits, but with oral vitamin C, the ingredients bioavailability in your skin remains limited.
Thats where a professional vitamin C facial really shines or rather, leaves you shining.
A skin care specialist has training in providing the most effective applications, so a professional treatment helps you get the full benefit of this powerhouse ingredient.
Its really a matter of the aesthetician working and massaging products that contain vitamin C and other antioxidants into the skin, notes Gold.
These skin treatments are often performed by licensed skin care specialists in salons or spas.
A facial usually involves the following steps:
- deep cleansing, which may involve steaming to open the pores
- exfoliation with a scrub or peel to remove dead skin
- massage to stimulate pressure points and help move fluids to clear away toxins and reduce puffiness
- product application, which typically begins with a concentrated treatment mask and then the specialty products, which are sealed with moisturizer and typically followed with sunscreen
These elaborate skin care routines typically take at least 45 minutes, sometimes up to 90 minutes. Designed to be relaxing, indulgent, and therapeutic, facials can also help remedy:
- skin congestion
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How Can You Add Vitamin C Into Your Daily Skincare Regime
If the benefits of vitamin c for skin have convinced you and you are ready to jump on the vitamin C bandwagon, here is how you can incorporate vitamin C products into your daily routine for healthy and glowing skin.
Step 1: Wash Your Face
Morning or night, it is important to clean your face before starting your skincare routine. Dead skin cells, sebum, and skincare products from the previous night are accumulated on your skin overnight, so it is important to wash your face in the morning. And all the sweat, environmental aggressors, oil, and makeup can clog your pores throughout the day, which is why going to bed without cleaning your face is a big no-no. A sneaky way of including this potent skin-loving ingredient in your daily routine is by using a face wash with vitamin c. Vitamin c facewash not only gets rid of toxins and impurities from your skin, but also reduces dullness and helps bring back your glowing complexion.
What To Do If Youve Over
If you note any of the above reactions after exfoliating, whether from an overzealous face-scrubbing session or an application of acids, Geria advises the first thing to do is stop exfoliating until your skin has healed and is at its baseline texture.
Baseline texture will differ from person to person in general, it just means the texture your skin had before overexposure. If youve always been acne prone, that will be your baseline texture. Youre really just waiting for the signs of over-exfoliation redness, inflammation, peeling to fade.
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It May Aid In The Prevention Of Skin Sagging
Skin elasticity and firmness are connected to collagen. If your collagen levels start to drop, your skin may sag.
This is true for drooping caused by natural aging, oxidative stress damage, or excessive weight reduction. Applying a vitamin C serum may enhance collagen formation, resulting in an overall tightening effect.
This means it can help tighten up and tone your skin, reducing the appearance of sagging skin.
How Vitamin C Serum Works
To understand how vitamin C works, you first have to understand free radicals. These natural molecules arent bad on their own, but they can become a problem when they build up. In high numbers, they can break cells down over time, contributing to illness and aging.
Antioxidants help fight free radicals, though, keeping everything in balance. Vitamin C is one such antioxidant.
- protect your skin from sun damage
If youre interested in trying vitamin C serum but arent sure how to pick one, dont worry. We rounded up 10 great options for you.
In selecting our top vitamin C serums picks, we looked at:
- Price. We included a range of options to suit many budgets.
- Customer reviews. We looked for serums highly rated by online reviewers.
- Potency. Each product contains at least 10 percent vitamin C.
- Packaging. Vitamin C serum should be packaged in opaque packaging. Otherwise, it can break down when exposed to light, causing it to be less effective.
Its worth keeping in mind that there are different types of vitamin C, and not all of them are equally effective.
We mostly chose products made with:
- L-ascorbic acid
- Key ingredients: glycolic acid, vitamin C
- Key features: cruelty-free, vegan, gluten-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free
- Skin type: oily or combination skin
Why we love it: Vitamin C can be a little unstable, breaking down easily when exposed to light, air, or water. Murad uses gold to stabilize the vitamin C in this serum, which the brand says results in a stronger product.
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It Encourages The Formation Of Collagen
Collagen is a naturally occurring protein that depletes with time. Fine lines and wrinkles can be caused by a lack of collagen.
Vitamin C is well known for promoting collagen formation during the collagen synthesis process trusted Source. Collagen production is not possible to have without vitamin C.
This is due to the fact that vitamin C serum benefits is a necessary cofactor for two enzymes involved in collagen synthesis:
- lysyl hydroxylase, which gives structural strength
- prolyl hydroxylase stabilizes the collagen
There Are Ways To Help Calm Irritation In The Moment
Immediately following an over-exfoliating episode, a cold compress can be applied to alleviate burning, says Geria, adding that a hydrocortisone cream may also help with redness and inflammation.
Aloe gel is known to have healing properties as well but can sometimes be irritating depending on how open and raw the areas are, in which case applying the actual aloe plant can help, he adds.
You may need to readjust the rest of your skin care routine, too. Eliminate foaming cleansers , retinol products , and, of course, any physical or chemical exfoliators. The goal is to keep it simple.
As for what to add to your regimen? A vitamin C serum, for starters. Vitamin C can soothe and help to expedite the healing process, Geria says.
Remind yourself to be patient
Irritation occurs because youve removed more skin cells than your body is able to replenish. Its kind of like the growing-out period after a bad haircut: annoying to deal with in real time but over before you know it.
Just because youve experienced some exfoliation irritation doesnt mean you need to swear off the stuff forever. Once your skin has healed, dermatologists agree its possible to reintroduce your favorite grains or acids albeit slowly and strategically.
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Helps In Brightening Skin Tone
There is a reason why Vitamin C serum has been used as an essential skincare product for years. Studies have shown that people with darker skin tones tend to have lower levels of Vitamin C in their skin. This means that they are at a disadvantage when it comes to brightening their skin tone, as conventional skincare products containing Vitamin C often don’t work well on dark-skinned individuals.
Fortunately, there are many natural ingredients found in Vitamin C serums that work better than prescription products. So if you’re looking for an effective way to brighten your complexion, serum form is the best option available! To use it properly, apply it every day morning and night or as directed by your dermatologist – though always talk to them before starting any new skincare routine!
Vitamin C Is A Super Essential Nutrient Required For The Growth And Repair Of Tissues Here Are 8 Benefits Of Vitamin C Serum For Face And How To Use Complete Guide
Vitamin C Serum For Face : Vitamin c serum is a great way not only brighten the skin but also help in removing dead skin cells. Apart from its endless skincare, vitamin c serums are also perfect to get you clear skin. Vitamin c serum promotes healing of the skin by rough texture, fine lines, acne and skin dullness. Vitamin c is water soluble antioxidant and is an essential nutrient that protects the skin. Thats why vitamin c serum is important for your daily skincare routine. Heres all you need to know.Also Read – Healthy Heart Diet: DOs and DON’Ts to Eat For Healthy Heart
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About Vitamin C Serum
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that the body needs for a number of reasons. However, it proves most beneficial to the skinparticularly around the face. For this reason, many people these days use skin-care products that contain vitamin C, such as concentrated vitamin C serums that are designed for use on sensitive facial skin.
Essentially, vitamin C serum is a oil- and water-based liquid that contained highly concentrated amounts of vitamin C. Serums are different from cremes and other products with vitamin C because of the significantly higher concentrations, which allow people to get the most out of the product and see more noticeable results.
What Are Vitamin Cs Benefits For Skin
As an antioxidant, it helps stop the damaging oxidation process from happening, says dermatologist Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, who founded both Episciences and skin care brand Epionce. Jamal also adds that vitamin C protects the skin from free radical damage, helps with skin elasticity and reduces redness and hyperpigmentation by inhibiting an enzyme that participates in the production of melanin. In short, that means it can reduce dark spots and quell inflammation and fine lines, as well as brighten dull skin.
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The Benefits Of A Vitamin C Facial For Bright Smooth Skin
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A facial refers to a series of treatments that cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, and moisturize your skin. These specialized skin care treatments can also address certain skin conditions with specific ingredients. A vitamin C facial, for example, uses this ingredient to brighten, repair, and smooth the skin.
Along with promoting smoother skin, vitamin C is also known to provide aging support and help your skin recover from the effects of heat, sun, and humidity. Essentially, a vitamin C facial incorporates a mix of high quality vitamin C-rich products into the treatment for specific benefits.
Vitamin C is a key ingredient you can use within a facial to assist in brightening, repairing, and smoothing out skin irregularities, explains Kelly Gold, licensed aesthetician and spa and fitness director at The Club at Rancharrah.
Read on to learn more about the skin benefits of topical vitamin C, what a facial involves, and how to try it at home.
How To Use A Vitamin C Serum And Reap Its Benefits
Saedi says to apply a few drops of serum to your face after you wash and dry it. A little bit goes a really long way, she says. She recommends putting it on every morning, all year round. It has some benefits with sun exposure, so it helps to apply it in the morning as the first layer of protection, she says. She says to then layer on your moisturizer and sunscreen. Serums are better than drops of vitamin C boosters added to your moisturizer, Saedi says. Vitamin C drops may not be as potent as serums, and mixing them with moisturizer may dilute the effects.
Store your bottle in a cool, dark place away from extreme heat, such as a bathroom cabinet, as opposed to on your counter. Storing a vitamin C serum correctly is integral to its success, Schlessinger says. A good rule of thumb is to toss the serum six months after its been opened and to keep the serum in a cool, dark place. If youre using it according to the instructions, itll likely be gone before the six months is up. If not, youll want to throw it out. When vitamin C is used past its shelf life, it can actually have negative effects, Schlessinger says. More on that next.
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Fact: Not All Vitamin C Serums Are Created Equal
There are actually several different forms of Vitamin C that are used in skincare formulas. While they have overlapping benefits, Pure Vitamin C is absorbed into skin and starts working immediately upon contact while Vitamin Cg activates once absorbed into the upper layers of skin to boost Vitamin C activity over time. Kiehls Vitamin C serums and formulas effectively incorporate a form of topical Vitamin C that is carefully selected to maximize its targeted efficacy.
What About An At
While you can follow many of the same steps for a facial at home, its hard to replicate the experience of a spa facial. Compare it to rubbing your own feet or getting a professional foot massage theyre essentially the same thing, but the experiences are completely different.
Still, if youd like to enjoy the benefits of vitamin C without heading to the spa, you can absolutely follow the steps in a standard facial cleansing, exfoliating, massage and then use a vitamin C mask or serum.
I think vitamin C serums are best, Duffy says. That way you can layer sunscreen on top and it doesnt feel too heavy.
Incorporating a vitamin C serum into your regular routine has the added benefit of consistency. A daily vitamin C serum would be better than a vitamin C facial because the serum is applied daily, notes Duffy.
Keep in mind, too, that vitamin C is unstable, reactive, and prone to losing its antioxidant properties when exposed to air, light, and heat.
So, while you can find vitamin C powder, mixing it up with your favorite moisturizer may not yield the results you hope for. For maximum efficacy, your best option usually involves buying quality vitamin C products instead of trying to make them yourself.
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Why Do I Need Vitamin C Serum
There are many reasons why you might want to use a vitamin C serum. Here are just a few of the benefits that vitamin C serums can offer:
- Brighten skin tone Vitamin C is a natural lightening agent that can help to brighten the complexion.
- Reduce fine lines and wrinkles Vitamin C stimulates collagen production, which can help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Even out skin tone Vitamin C helps to even out skin tone by reducing hyperpigmentation.
- Boost collagen production Collagen is responsible for keeping skin looking young and elastic. vitamin C boosts collagen production, which leads to firmer, smoother skin.
