Look At The Overall Formulation Of Your Product
There are different types of vitamin C that you might see pop up in different types of products. Some of these are more stable than others, meaning they wont oxidize as quickly, and some of them have different properties that can make them more suited to certain skin types.
For example, L-ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbyl phosphate are water-soluble, meaning theyre more likely to show up in products that are lighter and better suited to oilier skin. Check out BeautyBio the Daily Vitamin C Day Serum With Antioxidant Complex , Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum , or SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF .
If you have dry, mature skin, Dr. Hogan recommends looking for more moisturizing products containing lipid-soluble forms of vitamin C, like ascorbyl palmitate and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. For something containing these ingredients, look into Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil , the Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F , or Obagi Clinical Vitamin C Eye Brightener .
Look Bright Glowy And Evenly Toned
Vitamin c and all of its benefits surmise into just being an all around amazing product for your skin and face.
The extra collagen production and the soothing and smoothing of your skin means vitamin C will generally have your face looking brighter, glowier, and with a nice, even tone.
And isnt that the dream?
What The Heck Does Vitamin C Serum Do For Your Skin Anyway
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Could your morning glass of OJ give you clearer skin?
These days people are turning to Vitamin C to give their lackluster complexion a juicy glow. promise results for dry skin, oily skin, acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles, and even dark spots and sun damage. Those are some big promises for small bottles.
Before you head to the grocery store to stock up on orange juice and lemons, we put this trendy skin superfood to dermatologists and skincare experts for their take on the benefits of Vitamin C for your skin.
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Vitamin C Can Help Reduce The Appearance Of Fine Lines And Under
If those wrinkles and under-eye circles are making you seem more tired and weary than you really are, vitamin C may just be your serum in shining armor. Of course, you might also want to consider getting more sleep and making sure your diet isnt doing you wrong. Aside from a genetic predisposition to under-eye circles, sleep is the likeliest culprit. However, if youve done all you can do to optimize your eating and sleeping habits, there are ways to fight these effects from the outside in, and vitamin C may be just the weapon you need to help protect your skin.
Many people have found that vitamin C serum helps decrease darkness under the eyes, in addition to dealing with puffiness or eye bags. If the darkness under the eyes is caused by hyperpigmentation, then it would be consistent with the information shared above. Specifically, since vitamin C has the capacity to impede the production of excess melanin that contributes to uneven coloration, it could have a positive impact on skin tone. Vitamin C serums may also help by increasing blood flow to the area under your eyes, strengthening the blood vessels and ameliorating the dark circles.
Now that you know even more than you might really need to know about vitamin C, you may be wondering, whats the best product or serum to use? Well, thats an excellent question, so get ready for a pretty excellent answer.
For over 60 years, Viviane Woodard,, and for skin care tips, product discounts and more.
Skinmedica Vitamin C + E Complex
Any skin type can benefit from dabbing on a daily dose of this fragrance-free treatment from SkinMedica. In addition to pure vitamin C, the formula also includes vitamin E, which gives it a double dose of antioxidant power. Plus, it has a time-release effect, so it doesnt sputter out mid-day, Dr. Sperling says.
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Supports Skins Barrier Function
One of the ways Vitamin C benefits overall skin health is by supporting the skins barrier function. The lipid barrier is an essential part of the skins outer layer and is often likened to mortar, holding together the bricks that are your skin cells. When healthy, it acts like your skins security guard: It keeps in the good by helping skin retain moisture and keeps out the bad by denying potential irritants . Studies show that Vitamin C enhances the production of barrier lipids and, by extension, the skins ability to protect itself from transepidermal water loss, keeping it healthy, happy and hydrated.
What To Look Out For:
- Type: whether you chose to apply it topically with a serum, or as a multi-use moisturiser, or something more targeting like an eye cream, make sure you choose the right type of product for your skin type or according to your skin needs.)
- Form: within the different types of vitamin C they are formulated in different forms. The most potent form of vitamin C for oily or normal skin, L-ascorbic acid, while for dry and sensitive skin, its best to go for a more gentle magnesium ascorbyl phosphate which is a water-soluble form of vitamin C
- Concentration: When starting out with vitamin C the experts advice starting out with the lowest concentration like 10% or 15% and working your way up the potencies.
- pH: absorption of a vitamin C can be dependent to its pH level. For normal skin, a low pH of approximately 3.5 is most optimal. For sensitive skin, you should use a formula with a pH of 5 to 6.
- Storage: Whether you opt for water-based vitamin C which are usually more unstable and light sensitive or anhydrous which tends to be more stable, even in the presence of sunlight you should make sure your vitamin C is stabilised and kept airtight in a dark, cool space.
Vitamin C can be taken orally or it can be very effective in topical applications. So weâve rounded up the best vitamin C products, from the most gentle to the most potent for every need and every skin type, to stock-up your bathroom cabinet!
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Topical Vitamin C For Skin Aging
Vitamin C for skin aging: We’ve all heard how wonderful it is. But how come we never see any dramatic improvements?
Well, after years of trying tons of vitamin C skin care products, I finally found out why. And, I’ll show you what type of Vitamin C skin care products really Do work. You can see my before and after pictures.
Vitamin C is good for your skin, how come so many of us never experience all those wonderful benefits we read about? Why, after the vitamin C cream or serum bottle is empty, are we still disappointed with the look of our skin?
I did some investigating to see what the deal is with topical vitamin C for skin health and anti-aging and here is what I found:
Once I found a product that met all these points… I started to see the those wonderful benefits I’ve been reading about, especially on my face and neck.
Perfect for any skin type – especially dry, mature, wrinkled, or brown skin spots. Check out my results by clicking on the link above or the picture below.
Vitamin A And Environ Skin Care
When it comes to vitamin A skin care products, no skin care brand understands the importance and benefits of vitamin A better than Environ Skin Care. Dr Des Fernandes, Environ Skin Care Founder & Scientific Director, thoroughly researched vitamin A and harnessed its power to create Environ Skin Care products 25 years ago.
Environs products were primarily designed to correct the chronic deficiency of vitamin A that everyone suffers from in the exposed areas of their skin. The simple truth is that vitamin A needs to be replaced every day for skin to be appear healthier and more resilient. But when combined with other essential nutrients known as Environs A+ Complex, thats when you can begin to see and feel a healthier looking and more beautiful skin.
Using the beautiful science of this vitamin A+ complex, and understanding that vitamin A needed to be slowly reintroduced to skin to avoid retinoid reactions, Dr Des Fernandes created the worlds first Vitamin STEP-UP SYSTEM. This system was designed to help skin become gradually more comfortable with increased levels of vitamin A and other ingredients that keep skin looking healthy and beautiful.
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Olehenriksen Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum
This product smooths out rough texture, thanks to its blend of 15% vitamin C and hyaluronic acid. It also packs 5% polyhydroxy acids to gently exfoliate. PHAs have a larger molecule size than alpha hydroxy acids, so they may not sink into the skin as deeply, potentially reducing irritation, says Meghan Feely, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New Jersey and New York City who serves as a clinical instructor in Mount Sinais Department of Dermatology.
It Boosts Uv Protection
As mentioned previously, using vitamin C will make your skin more sensitive to sun damage. The added perk of wearing all-important SPF? âVitamin C works synergistically with sunscreen,â says Stephens. âWhen worn under a broad-spectrum sunscreen during the daytime, vitamin c has been shown to boost your skinâs defenses against UV-generated damage,â adds Tiffany Masterson, founder of beauty brand Drunk Elephant. So the all-star ingredient basically makes your sunscreen work even better.
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Layer Oil Over Vitamin C Serum
Herbivore Orchid Facial Oil
If you struggle with vitamin C turning colour on your skineven when it’s applied from a fresh, non-oxidized bottleconsider pairing it with a face oil.
Apply the C first, and then a generous layer of oil on top of it. This should help create a bit of a barrier between the vitamin C and the oxygen in the air, which is responsible for it darkening your skin.
Look for thicker oils that will stay on top of the skin surface instead of sinking in, such as:
Does Vitamin C Stand Up To The Hype
The benefits of vitamin C in skin care has been under debate for many years in the scientific community. While some studies do indicate that skin care products with vitamin C does have the ability to fight free radicals, most scientists agree that the benefits of a vitamin C cream need to be studied further.
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Vitamin C Content Of Skin
Normal skin contains high concentrations of vitamin C, with levels comparable to other body tissues and well above plasma concentrations, suggesting active accumulation from the circulation. Most of the vitamin C in the skin appears to be in intracellular compartments, with concentrations likely to be in the millimolar range . It is transported into cells from the blood vessels present in the dermal layer. Skin vitamin C levels have not often been reported and there is considerable variation in the published levels, with a 10-fold range across a number of independent studies . Levels are similar to that found in numerous other body organs. The variation in reported levels most likely reflects the difficulty in handling skin tissue, which is very resilient to degradation and solubilisation, but may also be due to the location of the skin sample and the age of the donor.
Cant I Just Take A Vitamin C Tablet Instead
You take a vitamin C supplement or drink a large glass of orange juice every morning, so you should be good, right?
Actually, Vitamin C taken by mouth does not get into the skin in high enough amounts to be nearly as effective as applying a Vitamin C cream or serum.
So donât skip your orange juice but add on your Vitamin C cream at night.
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The Container Shouldnt Let Air Or Light In
Vitamin C is super-sensitive to light, so the suns rays will break it down faster if its in clear packaging. As such, you also want to keep it stashed away in a cool, dark space such as the fridge as heat exposure reduces its potency too.
Although vitamin C serums are often a yellowish color, if the tint turns darker or brownish, thats a sign its turned and should be tossed.
Use Your Vitamin C Products At The Right Point In Your Skin
The right moment to use your product depends on what kind of product it is, Dr. Hogan explains. For serums, you want to apply your vitamin C product to freshly cleansed skin, but before you moisturize. But antioxidant-containing moisturizers are also becoming more common, Dr. Lamb says, and youd want to use those at the end of your routine.
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The Promotion Of Collagen Formation
Vitamin C acts as a co-factor for the proline and lysine hydroxylases that stabilise the collagen molecule tertiary structure, and it also promotes collagen gene expression . In the skin, collagen formation is carried out mostly by the fibroblasts in the dermis, resulting in the generation of the basement membrane and dermal collagen matrix . The dependence of the collagen hydroxylase enzymes on vitamin C has been demonstrated in a number of studies with fibroblast cells in vitro , with both decreased total synthesis and decreased crosslinking when vitamin C is absent . The activity of the hydroxylases is much more difficult to measure in vivo, as the amount of collagen synthesised may vary only a little . Rather, animal studies with the vitamin-C-deficient GULO mouse indicate that the stability of the synthesised collagen varies with vitamin C availability, reflecting the stabilising function of the collagen crosslinks formed by the hydroxylases . In addition to stabilising the collagen molecule by hydroxylation, vitamin C also stimulates collagen mRNA production by fibroblasts .
Structure of the dermis. Higher magnification of H& E-stained dermis, showing the irregular nature of the bundled collagen fibres and sparse presence of the fibroblasts . Vitamin C present in the fibroblasts supports the synthesis of the collagen fibres.
Hyaluronic Acid And Vitamin C Serum
Do I have regrets in life? Maybe a few. But I definitely dont regret the gray hair and wrinkles that accompany a life well-lived for more than a half century. That said, I sure dont want to look a day older than I actually am!!! Will this serum make you look like an 18 year old? Yes!!! if you are 18 years old. But if you are 58 years old, it will help your skin survive and even thrive for the next decades.
Healthy skin requires a two-pronged approach the internal, and the external. Drinking lots of water, only a little caffeine and/or alcohol, limiting sugar and starches, and being generous with good fats like avocado, salmon, nuts, and eggs feeds your skin internally. External feeding requires that you hydrate AND moisturize, thus this post.
I have become so disenchanted with commercial products:
- the cost is ridiculous
- ingredients are questionable-to-proven-harmful
- they dont seem to make much of a longterm difference
- besides, I have a theory: all those products that plump the skin actually age us in the long run
How can that be?
Well, in my non-scientific mind, when I blow up a balloon, let the air out, then blow it up again repeatedly, what happens to it? The balloon begins to lose elasticity and becomes a wrinkly and saggy blob. I dont want to look like a wrinkly and saggy blob!
You can get a knee replacement, dentures, and dye your hair, but you only get ONE chance with skin. Take good care of it, and it will take care of you!
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Choose The Right Concentration
Identifying the right concentration for your skin type is essential to how effective your topical vitamin C will be, says New York City dermatologist Dr. Patricia Wexler. “Begin with a low concentration of 10% and increase to 15% or 20% as tolerated,” she instructs. For oily or normal skin, L-ascorbic acid is the most potent form of vitamin C and can be the most beneficial, while for dry and sensitive skin, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, a water-soluble vitamin C, is less irritating.
Might Lighten Dark Spots
Vitamin C-based skin care products may lighten patches that are darker than the rest of your skin, called hyperpigmentation. In one study, vitamin C applied to the skin for 16 weeks significantly cut down on these spots. But experts say it will take more research to confirm how well vitamin C creams work.
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