What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can offer a range of benefits for your skin. When applied topically, it can help brighten your complexion, fade dark spots and hyperpigmentation, boost collagen production, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Additionally, vitamin C can help protect your skin against environmental stressors, such as UV radiation and pollution, by neutralizing free radicals before they can cause damage. The benefits of vitamin C serums when used in your skincare routine can help you achieve healthier, more radiant-looking skin.
The Benefits of Vitamin C for Skin Care
- Combats free radical damage that occurs from day-to-day exposure to the sun’s UV rays and environmental aggressors. Due to it being a natural antioxidant, it gives electrons to neutralize the free radicals that cause oxidative stress. This reduces inflammation and reorganizes your skin’s structure to mimic younger skin.
- Directly stimulates collagen production – vitamin C stabilizes the collagen molecule structure, encouraging collagen growth. This is especially important as you get older, when both vitamin C and collagen levels usually decrease.
- Helps maintain and repair damaged skin and cartilage – vitamin C enhances the production of barrier lipids in cells, which helps heal damaged skin and prevent keloids. The increased collagen production we mentioned earlier also aids in repairing damaged skin.
- Brightens complexion and evens skin tone – vitamin C is known for it’s brightening properties. After just a week of using a vitamin C product daily, you may be able to see the difference in your complexion already!
- Reduces the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation – the antioxidant properties contained in vitamin C serums and skin care products will help decrease hyperpigmentation by inhibiting melanin synthesis in the skin.
- Protects against sun damage – free radical damage is no joke! Vitamin C adds an extra layer of protection from damage that your SPF can’t match. By creating a barrier for free radicals, vitamin C helps decrease photodamage on the skin.
How To Use Vitamin C in Your Skin Care Routine
Vitamin C can be a very aggressive chemical on the skin, so you’ll want to slowly introduce it into your routine and ensure your skin has a positive reaction. For sensitive or dry skin types, try a less concentrated vitamin C serum to ensure you won’t have irritation.
To harness the best results, apply a vitamin C serum right after cleansinG, before any other products. Follow up with a moisturizer and your favorite SPF to lock it all in. (Did you know that combining vitamin C and SPF protects your skin from the sun more than just SPF alone?)