Vitamin C Benefits For Skin: What Does It Do
Did you know Vitamin C is the most abundant antioxidant in your skin? Heres everything it does for you:
- Boosts collagen:Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen . Collagen production naturally decreases with age, but you inadvertently speed up the process when you get a lot of unprotected sun exposure. Adding Vitamin C back into your skin can help you boost collagen levels up a notch or two.
- Brightens skin: Vitamin C inhibits the enzyme involved in the production of melanin . When your skin stops producing excess melanin, dark spots slowly fade away. Studies show that 25% vitamin C significantly decrease melasma after 16 weeks. But, its NOT as effective as topical treatments with hydroquinone.
- Fights free radicals: Free radicals are nasty molecules that destroy collagen, elastin, cellular DNA , causing wrinkles, dark spots, and cancer. Vitamin C finds and destroys them before they can wreak their havoc. This alone helps you slow down premature aging.
- Enhances sun protection: When UV rays hit your skin, they generate a cascade of free radicals. No sunscreen can stop all of them. Even SPF 100 lets 1% of UV rays through. Enter Vitamin C. Layer it underneath your sunscreen and itll neutralise the damage those few UV rays could cause.
Awesome, right?
Heres where things get complicated. Vitamin C isnt just one ingredient. You have the pure form, L-Ascorbic Acid, and a dozen other derivatives.
What Does Vitamin C Serum Do
Many people probably don’t realize that in addition to sunspots, the sun contributes to the formation of post-acne marks as well. These pesky red or brownish blotches pop up after a pimple heals, usually a big one, but exposing them to the sun darkens these marks and makes them stick around longer. This is where vitamin C comes in. âThis potent antioxidant interferes with the production of pigment in the skin, fading dark spots,â Dr. Ellen Marmur, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of MMSkincare, explains to Bustle. By inhibiting your skin’s melanin production, a vitamin C serum should keep new sunspots from forming, too.
And, that’s not the only way vitamin C fades dark spots on the skin! It’s also a chemical exfoliant, which â over time â sloughs off discolored skin. Because of its antioxidant properties, vitamin C aids your skin’s natural regeneration process, which helps your body repair damaged skin cells and produce new ones.
Vitamin C Serum For Acne Scars
Healthline explains how Vitamin C helps with the collagen rebuilding process and acne scarring, Vitamin C treats acne scars by increasing the synthesis of collagen, a protein responsible for your skins structure and vital for rebuilding healthy skin. As a result, this vitamin may accelerate the healing of acne wounds.
Vitamin C plays an important role in skins rebuilding of collagen, which is one way it helps the skin rebuild acne scarred areas to help them heal more effectively.
The Wang, Jiang, Li et al study found that, Normal skin needs high concentrations of vitamin C, which plays many roles in the skin, including the formation of the skin barrier and collagen in the dermis, the ability to counteract skin oxidation, and the modulation of cell signal pathways of cell growth and differentiation.
Vitamin C is found in high levels normally in the skin and it plays many roles, including oxidant protection, a role in cell growth and the formation of new skin.
This is why Vitamin C is so helpful in getting rid of red acne scarring and discoloration in the skin.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology found that Vitamin C protects against photoaging, ultraviolet-induced immunosuppression, and photocarcinogenesis.
These are reasons Vitamin C is known for adding an extra layer to protect skin from the sun, when used in combination with regular sunscreen.
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Vitamin C For Acne Scars
Does Vitamin C help improve acne scarring?
Acne scarring forms more often due to long-term or severe cystic acne, but it can also form from less severe cases as well. Picking at acne and genetic makeup can contribute to whether you get acne scarring as well.
Indented scarring is the result of too little collagen produced, making Vitamin C is a great treatment to help the skin regenerate and produce more collagen to heal.
Raised scarring, however is the result of too much collagen produced during healing, meaning Vitamin C and other topical treatments wont be much help. In the case of raised scarring youd need to go to your dermatologist to get their recommendation which may either be surgery, injections, or other types of gel treatments.
Why Do Acne Scars Form
Acne scars form due to the healing of inflamed acne blemishes. When the acne is small enough, the scars are mild and heal quickly on their own. Other times, the blemish spills into the surrounding tissue and creates deeper scarring.
The two main types of acne scarring is indented and raised. Acne scars are indented when they form due to a tissue deficit, and they are raised when too much collagen is produced during the acne wound repair.
Those with darker skin are more prone to raised scarring, which is more likely to happen to darker skin types as a healing response whether that is to acne or other types of skin injuries.
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Skinceuticals Advanced Pigment Corrector
William Kwan, MD, an ethnic skin expert and dermatologist based in San Francisco, likes this powerful serum to target discoloration from old breakouts. âIt contains salicylic acid, which is helpful in treating acne and gently exfoliating, and a proprietary lightening agent to even discoloration,â he says.
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How Long Does Vitamin C Take To Fade Dark Spots
With regular serum use, and as long as youâre diligent about using sun protection, âyou may start seeing noticeable improvements in three to eight weeksâ says Dr. Marmur. And for the record, C serums arenât the only way to include vitamin C in your skincare routine â you can also find the antioxidant in moisturizers, masks, and even super stable face powders.
So if you’re looking for a way to fade dark spots in no time at all, below, you’ll find the best Vitamin C serums to do the work for you.
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Bright Healthy Skin Starts Here
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Most of us are accustomed to taking vitamin C to boost immunity. However, the vitamin, also referred to as ascorbic acid, can seriously benefit your skin in topical form as well. Nazanin Saedi, M.D., Director of Jefferson Laser Surgery and Cosmetic Dermatology Center in Philadelphiaexplains that vitamin C is a key ingredient in many skin care products and is used for a variety of conditions, including acne scarring, fine lines, and uneven skin tone. A good Vitamin C serum can help improve skin complexion, minimize hyperpigmentation, minimize sun damage, and help improve skin texture.
So what should you look for when on the hunt for a vitamin C infused skin treatment? There are two important elements when it comes to an effective product, she says. You need to look for the percentage of vitamin C and also the other ingredients added to the mix. Look for ascorbic acid because it is a stable and effective form of topical vitamin C, she urges. Also, THD ascorbate is a very stable form that is oil-soluble. Some formulations have vitamin E as well and that is another potent antioxidant.
Here are the best vitamin C serums on the market.
Does Vitamin C Help Acne
Vitamin C can be used as part of a treatment plan for acne, since acne-prone skin is much lower in vitamin C than average.
Aside from helping to correct this low level of vitamin C, it also reduces lipid peroxidation which prevents the breakdown of essential fatty acids that are important for limiting acne breakouts.
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Which Vitamins Help With Acne Scars
Vitamin A, which is an antioxidant and thus https://www.healthline.com/health/vitamin-a-for-acne#benefits) from damaging your skin cells, can help reduce the incidence of acne scars and help your skin to heal more holistically than it otherwise might. This essential vitamin can even reduce the likelihood of acne scars appearing after acne outbreaks.
Likewise, Vitamin C, another antioxidant, does a killer job of stopping scars in their tracks. However, these vitamins cannot make acne scars that have already been cemented into the skin disappear. They are best used to prevent new acne scars from forming and for helping your skin to heal after a particularly bad outbreak, such as those suffered by patients with cystic acne.
Vitamin C Helps Take The Red Out Of Acne
Probably the most dramatic effect of taking a vitamin C supplement if you have acne is clearing up the redness in your skin. Redness is partially the result of inflammation. The immune system releases inflammatory chemicals known as leukotrienes to destroy acne bacteria, but the bacteria have a decoy system that redirect those chemicals toward the skin itself. Vitamin C in large doses doesnt stimulate the immune system. It tones it down. Thats a good thing, however, when the immune system is misfiring and destroying healthy skin rather than the acne bacteria in pores.
The other way vitamin C can help take the red out of acne is . These are microscopic blood vessels that provide oxygen and nutrients to the basal layer of the skin, about the thickness of 25 cells deep. The basal layer generates new skin cells that keep pushing outward to the stratum corneum, where they die and rupture to form a solid protective layer of protein and ceramides over the skin. The redness we see in pimples is mostly generated at this lower layer, but it is minimized when vitamin C with its cofactors helps stop leaks of bright red blood.
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Skincare Words I Learned
I kept notes of skincare words I didnt know and wrote what the benefits are for each to give you an idea if its something you would like to look for. I tried to use these words when they are in the product so use Ctrl or Command + F and search the term to quickly find those products! For those of you on your phones, its up to your thumbs to find it.
Benefits Of A Vitamin C Serum For Acne Scars And Hyperpigmentation
There are tonnes of acne fighting, age defying vitamin C creams, serums and treatments available out there but its important not to be blinded by the miracle marketing strategies of some of these brands. Yes, some of them may contain a good dose of topical vitamin C but they could also contain silicones, alcohols and preservatives which can all contribute to acne and damaged skin by causing clogged pores, dryness and irritation while some preservatives have even been linked to hormone disruption! This is why this blog post will cover everything you need to know about using topical vitamin C safely and effectively as part of a natural acne treatment plan! Plus, Ill be sharing my favourite topical vitamin C serums for acne and scars.
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Vitamin C: Deficiency And Toxicity
Scurvy, which is the major result of vitamin C deficiency, can be prevented with 45 mg/day of the vitamin. However, experts suggest at least 90 mg/day for optimal health and to lower the risk of developing cancer, cataracts, and heart diseases.
Scurvy results from the synthesis of unstable collagen due to vitamin C deficiency. This means that the skin is softened and spongy and also prone to discolorations.
Scurvy can also cause bleeding from mucosal surfaces and open, festering wounds on the skin.
Since animals that produce vitamin C do so at concentrations far above the ones listed above, some researchers believe humans can benefit from the healing powers of megadoses of vitamin C. However when high doses of vitamin C are used, it can no longer be described as supplementation but as an actual drug to treat diseases.
Vitamin C is used in the prevention and treatment of scurvy and gout. It is also used to lower the risk of stroke.
Because vitamin C is soluble in water, there is only a very low chance of vitamin C toxicity since it is quickly excreted in the urine. Still, high doses of vitamin C can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, insomnia, and skin rashes in infants.
Vitamin C supplements are sold in different forms including powder, tablets, capsules, and caplets. It can also be included in multivitamin formulations and combination antioxidant formulations.
The Birds And The Bees Of Acne
Before we begin, it should be known that acne has two primary causes, and storks arent one of them.
It can either be caused by hormonal imbalances in your body, which is often what teenagers suffer from, or by unhealthy or blocked skin. Skin pores can be blocked by dirt or debris or dead skin cells.
While skin supplements have been shown to help, a holistic approach is key, so consider clearing your pores with exfoliators, too.
Whats so nifty about skin supplements and other vitamins is that some remove these blockers by reducing the production of skin oil, causing your skin pores to remain open, and others prevent your skin from drying out a great thing, because dry skin leads to dead skin cells. And hydrated skin and clear pores equates to healthy skin cells, reducing the risk for acne!
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Can Vitamin C Serums Cause Acne
No, vitamin C serums cannot cause acne.
One of the main arguments leveled against vitamin C is that it acts as a pro-oxidant. This means that instead of neutralizing free radicals, it will act as a free radical itself and begin to damage skin cells.
This kind of free radical is called a reactive oxygen species . It contains unstable oxygen molecules that will cause oxidative stress to skin cells. Oxidation can be triggered particularly if vitamin C is put in contact with metals such as iron which are carried onto the skin by air pollution.
Evidence shows that ROS and oxidative stress correlate strongly with acne outbreaks by inducing inflammation, and therefore, some people have claimed that topical vitamin C can cause acne.
While it is true that Vitamin C is an unstable compound, scientific evidence continually finds it to function as an antioxidant rather than a pro-oxident when applied topically to the skin. It actually neutralizes ROS and removes them from the skin, thus reducing the risk of inflammation and of acne breakouts.
Prevention: Vitamin C Is A Powerful Antioxidant
Vitamin C is one of the most potent antioxidants, giving it the power to destroy free radicals by turning them into pure compounds. The skin is continuously exposed to environmental toxins and used as an exit point for systemic toxins, creating a need for round-the-clock protection from free radicals. Free radicals cause damage to the skin by breaking down proteins and fatty acids that make up the skin. They can alter normal skin pH and increase the production of sebum, leaving the skin prone to bacteria that causes breakouts. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant that converts the harmful free radicals into harmless compounds before they can do any damage to the skin, helping to prevent future breakouts.
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Best Vitamin C Serums Of 2021
Beyond shopping at the usual beauty retailers , Ulta and Dermstore you can order vitamin C serums directly from brands like Ghost Democracy, INNBeauty PROJECTS and Maya Chia. Popular beauty companies, including L’Oréal and The Ordinary, sell affordable vitamin C serums . If you’re looking to invest in your skin care routine, consider luxury brands like Revision Skincare and Barbara Sturm.
To help guide your search for a vitamin C serum, weve compiled expert-recommended vitamin C serums and a few highly rated options otherwise, ranging from -approved formulas to a new and notable launch.
How To Use A Vitamin C Serum For Oily Acne
Theres no proof that Vitamin C causes acne. In fact, it may even help treat it faster!
And yet, many of my clients with oily, acne-prone skin complain their acne got worse after introducing a Vitamin C serum into their skincare routine.
Science cant explain why. But I dont believe in waiting around doing nothing while science catches up with real skin problems.
Instead, lets find a way to make Vitamin C safe for you, too. Enter Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate .
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate is a derivative of Vitamin C . When it sinks into your skin, enzymes come along to convert it into L-Ascorbic Acid.
A study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science shows that Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate can treat acne vulgaris. How?
Acne is caused by two major factors:
- Bacteria: Proprionibacterium Acnes, or P.Acnes for short
- Lipid oxidation: when your sebum oxidises, your skin becomes inflamed
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate deals with both. 1% of SAP reduces the amount of P.Acnes on your skin, while 5% prevents lipid oxidation in the first place.
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