Apart from its antioxidant properties, vitamin C brings a host of additional benefits to the skin and there is no reason for anyone not to include vitamin C in their skincare routine. Vitamin C is something of a mega multitasker in the skincare world. It’s also know as ascorbic acid it is a water-soluble nutrient that plays an important role in keeping your skin healthy. Because of its antioxidant properties, vitamin C aids in your skin’s natural regeneration process, which helps your body repair damaged skin cells. So, in the same way that consuming antioxidant-rich foods aids your body in fighting off free radicals, topical antioxidants do the same for your skin by helping to offset daily aggressors like UV damage and exposure to air pollution.
Benefits of using Vitamin C
Vitamin C has many benefits for the skin, including the potential to:
- Helps boost collagen, used to keep skin youthful and plump
- Heal wounds
- Maintain and repair damaged skin and cartilage
- Diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- Brighten up complexion, reduce redness
- Even skin tone
- Reduce the appearance of dark spots
- Prevent premature aging
- It increases the effectiveness of sunscreen and gives the skin better protection from UV rays.
- It reduces red blotches left after spots by improving the skin’s natural healing process.
L-ascorbic acid is pure vitamin C and the most effective type for the skin. It’s the gold standard when it comes to vitamin C. It’s an antioxidant powerhouse that delivers amazing benefits to the skin and the purest form that is naturally in citrus fruits, plants, green vegetables, and in our skin.
L-ascorbic acid is also referred to as simply ascorbic acid. They’re the same thing. The “L” in front of ascorbic acid refers to the way the molecule rotates to light.
Here are some other types of vitamin C’s:
- Sodium Ascorbyl phosphate
- Sodium Ascorbate
- Calcium Ascorbate
- Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
- Ascorbyl Glucoside
- Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
- Ascorbate Palmitate
So, many different forms of vitamin C were created to be more stable and make product formulation easier. The trouble is that these forms all differ and they may not be as effective as pure ascorbic acid. So therefore it is important to make sure you get the right vitamin C product for your skin and get advice from your skincare specialist and not buy any random product when scrolling through instagram ect. There is also different percentages of vitamin C, so we do recommend choosing the appropriate concentration to meet your skin’s specific needs. For example: the Obagi Vitamin C’s offer a 10% (for dry to normal skin), 15% (for combination skin), and a 20% (for normal to oily skin).
How to use Vitamin c and when ?
Ready to incorporate vitamin C into your daily skin routine? Your skincare routine should generally include:
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Vitamin C serum
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
If you decide to use both vitamin C and retinol as part of your skincare routine, irritation is the most common side effect you might encounter, especially if you layer the products. But you can avoid this irritation by spacing out the application of each product, by using retinol at night and vitamin C in the morning. Vitamin C and retinol are both very powerful ingredients, which is in many ways what makes them so worthwhile, but it also means that you need to use them with caution. Another downside to using retinol and vitamin C is cost. Compared to products like moisturiser, retinol and vitamin C can both be a bit more pricy. That being said, depending on your past photodamage and your goals for rejuvenation (whether aesthetics, self-esteem or confidence boosts, etc.) many patients find the investment worthwhile.
Like any topical, it takes time to see the benefit with consistent use and with the right product, you should see a brighter, more radiant complexion with a slight decrease in pigmentation. This will only happen with consistency and pairing a good vitamin C with sunscreen.
Vitamin C works great with other active ingredients such as vitamin A and E (also an anti-oxidant) and ferulic acid to boost the anti-oxidising benefits.
Are there any side effects with Vitamin C ?
As with any skin care product, some people may experience side effects when using vitamin C serum. Some of the most common side effects include:
- itching
- redness
- skin irritation
- tingling sensation upon application
While some people might experience a slight burning or tingling sensation when using the serum, it should not last long. If a person experiences continued burning or signs of an allergic reaction, such as swelling or hives, they should immediately wash their skin to remove the serum.
Our top selling and favourite vitamin C in the clinic and online are:
Obagi Professional – C Serums 10%, 15% and 20% we have had excellent customer feedback on these products.
Jan Marini C-esta Serum our customers favourite.
Zo Skin Health self activating vitamin C.
