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Vitamin C for skin care - how does it work?

Author: Derma Essentia
by Derma Essentia
Posted: May 15, 2021

Vitamin C - Everyone has heard of it before, but few people know about the function of this anti-aging vitamin. What is it doing in our facial care? Are skin creams and vitamin C serums more effective against wrinkles? And best of all: what properties should vitamin C cream have to be really effective?

Vitamin C supports the essential functioning of the skin and contributes to healthy and beautiful skin in a variety of ways.

Vitamin C as an antioxidant

New free radicals are constantly being produced during metabolic processes in the body. These species are unstable and destroy cell membranes, lipids, and proteins in search of a reaction partner. These ingredients are essential for healthy skin. That's why free radicals contribute to skin aging. By the way, environmental effects such as ULTRAVIOLET rays, air pollution, and tobacco smoke also produce many radicals

Antioxidants are needed to prevent free radicals from harming the skin and the entire organism. These make free radicals harmless, so they can prevent premature aging of the skin. Vitamin C is the most well-known antioxidant. In addition, the impact on skin care products has been scientifically proven.

Vitamin C against wrinkles

The secret to firm skin lies in a protein called collagen. It forms the framework of the skin and gives it the necessary firmness and resilience. If there are wrinkles on the face, the collagen framework is not strong enough.

Vitamin C helps twice: Firstly, vitamin C protects the collagen structure from free radicals that damage it. Second, it helps the body produce new collagen. It can withstand greater tension and does not break down so fast. The formation of wrinkles is slowed down and your facial skin remains wrinkle-free longer.

Vitamin C for acne and pimples

The antioxidant effects of vitamin C help with acne and acne. Vitamin C reduces micro-inflammation of the skin caused by acne. This anti-inflammatory effect relieves the complexion. The condition of the skin can be visibly improved. The complexion looks more uniform and healthy. The progression of acne is also caused by the oxidation process in which vitamin C acts. Therefore, vitamin C should not be insufficient for the treatment of acne and problem skin.

Vitamin C for pigment spots

Vitamin C can also help with the increased formation of pigment spots. This phenomenon is known as hyperpigmentation. We want to distance ourselves consciously from implausible healing statements and refer to the current state of research.

Vitamin C has shown in studies that it inhibits the excessive formation of melanin and thus counteracts the formation of age spots.

When pigmented spots, we recommend a day care with SPF and mild Vitamin C.

Which vitamin C form and concentration is best?

Unfortunately, there is no general answer to this question. Not all vitamin C is created equal. Many different forms of vitamin C are suitable for external use and are used in cosmetics.

The different forms are also called derivatives.

  • Ascorbic acid ('pure' vitamin C),
  • Ascorbyl Glucoside (the connection between ascorbic acid and grape sugar),
  • Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate or Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (salt-like ester form),
  • Ethyl ascorbic acid (also a water-soluble ester form) or fat-soluble vitamin C esters, such as ascorbyl palmitate or ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate

In the following paragraphs, we want to discuss which of these forms can work best in care products. We also get to the bottom of the question of when serum and when a cream should be used.

Pure vitamin C: effective, but not in a cream

The most direct effect is pure vitamin C, ascorbic acid, or L-ascorbic acid. In contrast to the other derivatives, it does not first have to be converted into the active form. However, ascorbic acid is not suitable for daily care because it is too acidic and irritating.

Pure vitamin C cannot be used in a cream because it is too susceptible to oxidation and decomposes quickly. However, it can be used in a serum. However, this should not be used every day.

Vitamin C Serum: This is how it works best

If you are looking for the vitamin c serum for skin, there are a few things to consider. In the case of a serum with pure vitamin C, the formulation must have a strictly acidic pH value. In addition, only an airtight pump dispenser is suitable for administration.

Even if pipette bottles look very nice, air repeatedly gets into the serum during use. This way, vitamin C quickly loses its effect. Concentrations of up to 15% are recommended. However, the following applies the higher, the more attractive. And be careful: the effect decreases again from a concentration of 20%.

Vitamin C Cream Or Serum - Which Is Better?

The basis of skin care is always a good cream. This should not be limited to individual active ingredients, but support the natural functioning of the skin. With natural lipids, building blocks of the skin and extensive anti-aging ingredients.

These include antioxidants, such as vitamin A, moisturizers, vitamin c serum hyaluronic acid, and basic building blocks of the skin such as ceramides. This combination of active ingredients promotes skin health holistically. Further maintenance is then not necessary.

However, a serum can also provide the skin with an intensive supply of vitamin c serum for skin With the right formulation, it is able to bring the most potent form of vitamin C into the skin: pure ascorbic acid.

In addition, a high-dose serum can be used as a booster. So if a cream is not enough for you, you can add a serum, but you should consider a few things.

About the Author

We all are stuck at home due to this coronavirus all other shops and beauty parlors are closed because of this pandemic. But don't worry you’ll get more time to take care of skin and hair care at home during this lockdown period.

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Author: Derma Essentia

Derma Essentia

Member since: Jun 21, 2019
Published articles: 70

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