Our bodies cannot synthesize vitamin C, so if we want to supplement it, we need to take some vitamin C-rich foods to supplement it. Vitamin C serums can help us balance skin tone, reduce hyperpigmentation, and reduce signs of aging. This article will explore the various beauty benefits of vitamin C serums, as well as some potential side effects to consider.
Vitamin C serums may help protect skin from sun damage
1. Sun protection
Vitamin C is an antioxidant. It reduces the damage that free radicals can cause to the body. Free radicals are particles that cause inflammation. Some of the antioxidant effects of vitamin C on the skin include:
Reduces premature cell death
Reduces the release of cytokines, which are inflammatory compounds
Reduces damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light
While we should not use topical vitamin C instead of sunscreen to protect our skin, using topical vitamin C may also help prevent the harmful effects of the sun.
2. Prevent premature aging
Vitamin C cannot reverse the appearance of wrinkles that naturally form over time. However, vitamin C serum can help reduce premature aging by protecting the skin from premature skin wrinkles that may be caused by sun exposure.
Vitamin C also helps reduce premature wrinkles by stimulating the growth of collagen. Collagen is a protein that provides structure and elasticity to the skin. Using a 5% vitamin C solution for 6 months can help increase skin thickness. Thicker, collagen-rich skin is less likely to develop wrinkles than thinner skin.
3. Promote collagen
Vitamin C can promote the synthesis of collagen, and it can also play a strong antioxidant role. It can effectively protect the body's various tissues, organs and blood vessels from free radical damage, so it can also improve blood vessel elasticity and avoid some vascular diseases.
4. Whitening and lightening
Vitamin C can not only be taken orally, but also used externally. We can directly grind vitamin C into powder and apply it on the face. It has strong antioxidant properties. If women who like to make facial masks every day can mix vitamin C with essence water and apply it on the face, it can also have a whitening and lightening effect.
5. Prevent atherosclerosis
Vitamin C can promote the conversion of cholesterol into bile acid, help prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and prevent the formation of atherosclerosis.
6. Prevent iron deficiency anemia
For the difficult-to-absorb trivalent iron salt, vitamin C can restore it to divalent iron salt, promote intestinal absorption of iron, improve the liver's utilization rate of iron, and help prevent and treat iron deficiency anemia.
7. Improve immunity
White blood cells are good immune cells in the human body and contain rich vitamin C. When the body's white blood cells are infected, vitamin C decreases sharply. Vitamin C can enhance the chemotaxis and deformation of neutrophils to further kill bacteria. Vitamin C can effectively help fight viruses and promote faster recovery of the body.
8. Prevent scurvy
Vitamin C deficiency will cause collagen to be synthesized too late, and the lack of nutrition in the capillaries will lead to cell joint disorders, increase the fragility of capillaries, and cause bleeding in the skin and submucosal membranes. Vitamin C can not only prevent scurvy, but also promote wound healing.
How do vitamin C serums work?
Vitamin C presents some challenges because it breaks down in the presence of factors like air, heat, and light. Some formulations contain ascorbic acid, which is the natural form of vitamin C. The skin absorbs ascorbic acid well, but it doesn't always work well when mixed with certain solutions. Ascorbyl palmitate has greater stability when mixed with other solutions, but the skin absorbs it less efficiently. Skincare manufacturers package vitamin C into serums because it allows them to deliver a higher concentration of vitamin C that the skin can absorb quickly.
Serums are formulated as water-based or oil-based products that the skin can absorb quickly. This way it isn't exposed to air until a person rubs it into their skin. This minimizes the amount of time the vitamin C has to break down.
Most dermatologists recommend applying serums after cleansing the skin and before applying moisturizer. This allows the skin to absorb the serum most effectively.
Manufacturers may combine vitamin C with other known antioxidants to increase the effectiveness of a serum. Examples include vitamin E and ferulic acid. These combinations of ingredients may work better together to help reduce and reverse signs of aging.
Vitamin C can be very acidic and serums can cause skin irritation in some people, especially at high concentrations. When first using a vitamin C serum, apply a thin layer every other day and gradually build up to daily use.
Additionally, combining vitamin C with retinol may further irritate the skin. If we use retinol in our skincare routine, they may want to use a vitamin C serum in the morning and any products containing retinol in the evening. This approach maximizes the sun protection benefits of vitamin C while minimizing the potential for retinol to increase sun sensitivity.