Vitamin C has become a very popular cosmetic product in recent years and continues to become even more so over time. You may be thinking it’s just another skincare fad, but in this instance the hype is well earned. Using a topical vitamin C serum regularly has a number of proven benefits for men and women of all ages and skin types. It’s never too early or late to add this to your skin care routine, you will surely see improvements in your skin after consistent use.

When it comes to vitamin C for your skin we recommend a topical vitamin C serum to see the benefits we will discuss shortly. This is the most effective method as serums typically have more active ingredients and penetrate into the skin more easily than creams.

Vitamin C serums are also more effective for the skin than taking vitamin C supplements because when taken orally the skin is the last organ to receive the nutrients, as all the other organs in your body will get the nutrients first.

To boost the effectiveness of the vitamin C and ultimately see more benefits it is important to regularly exfoliate so the vitamin C can penetrate into the deeper layers of your skin and not get blocked by excess oil and dead skin cells. The best and most effective way to exfoliate is by microdermabrasion. (To read more about the benefits of microdermabrasion click here.)

After a microdermabrasion session here at Sarah Laser Center & Medspa any products used after will be exponentially more effective than when applied to non-exfoliated skin. This is why a majority of our medical grade facials begin with microdermabrasion, so that any treatments or products used after will be as effective as possible. (To see our medical grade facial menu click here.)

Benefits of Vitamin C

So now that you know the best way to deliver nourishing vitamin C to your skin lets talk about the multitude of benefits you will see after repeated, consistent use of a potent vitamin C serum. Here at Sarah Laser Center & Medspa we retail vitamin C and a variety of other types of serums and ampoules with powerful active ingredients to treat your specific skin concerns.

Promotes Collagen Production

The main benefit of using a topical vitamin C serum (the one that has the whole beauty industry going wild) is that it promotes collagen production by stimulating the cells that produce collagen. Collagen is a protein that is mainly responsible for creating stronger, thicker, and firmer skin that looks plump and young.

Typically our bodies will produce less and less collagen as we age, which is why wrinkles and sagging skin occur in older people more than younger people. Natural collagen production can also decrease because of other factors such as pollution, lifestyle choices, and exposure to the sun. Studies have shown that topically applying vitamin C increases collagen production in both young and aged skin, so however old you are it’s never too early or late to start including vitamin C in your beauty regimen.

Using vitamin C regularly will promote collagen production which will reverse and prevent the signs of aging such as wrinkles and fine lines. (To read our article about how to get rid of wrinkles and fine lines click here.)

Prevents Stretch Marks

Stretch marks occur on the body when the skin around an area is stretched too fast by an event such as pregnancy, rapid weight gain, or weight loss. When the skin is strained like this the natural collagen production in the middle layers of the dermis is disrupted and the middle layers scar, these scars appear on the top layer of skin as stretch marks.

Another property of collagen, besides keeping the skin young and firm, is that it keeps skin flexible. It enhances the flexibility of the skin, making it less likely to snap, scar, and leave stretch marks.

Since, as stated previously, our bodies’ natural collagen production decreases as we get older, we may notice more and more stretch marks popping up as the years go by. Vitamin C does not only have to be used on the face, by applying it to an area where your body is changing it will stimulate the dermis’s collagen production in that area, making the skin of that area less likely to get stretch marks.

Remember this is a preventative measure, it is unlikely that vitamin C will reduce or remove any already present stretch marks you may have. However, microneedling has been proven to reduce the appearance of stretch marks after a series of sessions. (To read more about the benefits of microneedling click here.)

Protects you from Free-Radicals

Free radicals are basically very unstable molecules that can damage your cells when there’s too many of them. They can be produced and handled naturally by the body, but the real problem occurs when you’re exposed to an abundance of them through things like pollution, UV radiation, and cigarette smoke. When there are too many free radicals in the skin it can lead to premature aging by causing oxidative damage. Oxidative damage hurts the main proteins of the skin (collagen, elastin) and the skin cell itself, speeding up wrinkle formation and other signs of aging such as age spots.

Vitamin C (and other types of antioxidants) effectively neutralizes these free radicals which reduces the possible damage they can do to your skin. Applying vitamin C daily underneath sunscreen protects your skin day to day from environmental factors, such as UV radiation and pollution, that lead to excessive free radical formation, thus keeping your skin looking young.

This is an apple that was cut down the middle and then half of the apple was protected with lemon juice (a rich source of vitamin C) while the other half was not. The browning we see is because of the oxidative damage that the free radicals caused when the apple was exposed without any protection. The same process happens on our skin just at a much slower rate than apples. The free radicals slowly cause oxidative damage to the skin which results in wrinkles and age spots. This example shows how the vitamin C in the lemon juice protected the apple from oxidative damage and kept it fresh longer, just like how vitamin C keeps our skin looking young longer.

Fades Brown Spots

Brown spots (also known as hyperpigmentation) are caused by an overproduction of melanin in an area of the skin. Vitamin C works to fade and prevent these brown spots by inhibiting an enzyme within the skin that is needed to produce the dark pigments. Consistent, long-term use of a topical vitamin C serum will fade existing brown spots and prevent new ones from forming, giving you an overall clear, bright, even toned complexion.

Fades Acne Scars

The collagen production promoted by consistent topical vitamin C application smoothes away depressed acne scars by filling in the indents left over from past breakouts, giving you clear, smooth skin. It will also fade scars that look like brown spots, as vitamin C prevents excess melanin production which reduces the appearance any brown spot type acne scars. Additionally vitamin C soothes any redness and inflammation caused by a breakout which prevents any scarring in the first place. (To read our article about how to get rid of acne scars click here.)