You’ve heard about all the health benefits of having a proper skin care routine, but have you stopped to think what you’re putting into and on your body that might be affecting your skin?
Supplements can be a great health booster, especially for skin, and there are several on the market that claim to give you that glowing visage you’ve always dreamed about. The one that experts say helps the most is Vitamin C.
We normally think of Vitamin C as helping us fight back against the common cold, but it can do so much more.
It’s also a powerful antioxidant that stops time in its tracks.
The vitamin C skin benefits
Many product lines have come out with skin care products containing this vitamin that help slow the aging process, and they can significantly reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
But how does it do this?
Our skin is assaulted daily with inescapable effects such as sun damage, pollution and oxygen.
Using Vitamin C in a topical for daily use, or any form, such as a pill, can greatly decrease the effects felt by these environmental factors. Not only can Vitamin C topicals reduce aging effects from overexposure to sunlight that dries out the skin, but it can also:
- Repair skin from these effects and promote healthy skin growth; your body is always developing new skin cells, so many lighter changes to your skin’s appearance can be reversed.
- Increase collagen production, which allows your skin to be firmer, meaning less wrinkles.
- Promote a better healing process for your skin, making it even easier for scars and acne marks to fade, and much more!
That is why I always add a vitamin C serum in my skincare routine. This is one of the most supported active ingredient. I recommend you to check the super nice article to choose the best vitamin C serum, written by one of my favorite beauty bloggers.
It is a bit long but it is really worth the read.
Many vitamin C forms
You will learn that although any form of Vitamin C is good for your skin, but there are a couple that stand out as being “better.”
Ascorbic acid (aka L-ascorbic acid) has been the most studied, and cosmetic companies say they have found the most success with this particular form.
It is most successful when put together with other antioxidants to create a greater effect, and ascorbic acid can be increased to a 10-20% concentration for more persistent skin issues. Vitamin C serums, such as those from skinceuticals, skin solutions, oz naturals, can be added to your daily moisturizer to give it a kickstart.
You can also use spot treatments containing ascorbic acid and dot them onto a problem pimple; it’ll be gone in no time!
Ascorbic acid may be the most researched among the Vitamin C family, but there are other useful derivatives as well, such as sodium ascorbyl phosphate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate.
They’re a mouthful, but they’re also amongst the most reliable forms of Vitamin C, stable and effective.
A few tips to get the best of it
As with ascorbic acid, you will find much benefit in mixing these forms with other antioxidants to improve the effects of your anti-aging skin regime.
Just make sure to keep any of these stored in a cool place with little to no light. Exposing them to air and light for long periods of time can decrease the beneficial effects.
With all the miraculous things Vitamin C can do for your skin, it’s important to remember that it’s not the end all, be all of your skincare routine.
You won’t succeed with just one ingredient, no matter how amazing that ingredient is. To keep your skin looking its best, use lower concentrations of Vitamin C with a broad range of antioxidants and skin-repairing ingredients.
Vitamin C may be a superhero of the supplement world, but every hero needs a sidekick!