What are the benefits of Vitamin C for the skin?
What are the benefits of Vitamin C for the skin?
Consuming a diet of vitamin-rich foods and using vitamin powered skincare helps to optimise the health of both your body and your skin. Applying vitamins topically via skincare has been proven in clinical testing to be more beneficial for the skin than just absorbing vitamins from our diets. Applying Vitamin C topically can be 30 times more effective than taking it internally. This is because when you take vitamins internally, they get shared by all your other organs. When applied to the skin in proper concentration, they go straight where they are needed.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, plays an important role in keeping your body and skin healthy. It’s an extremely strong antioxidant with renowned protective properties. It is required by the skin to produce enzymes, and has a direct role in collagen synthesis. It is also important for wound healing and has corrective properties against photo ageing and UV damage. Very easily destroyed by smoke, pollution, UV exposure, it’s therefore essential to replenish your skin’s Vitamin C reserves.
Vitamin C has the following benefits for the skin:
- Boosts Collagen
- Reduces Age Spots and Pigmentation
- Anti-Aging Properties
- Protects Against Sun Damage and Environmental Pollution
- Promotes Wound Healing
- Hydrates Skin
- Reduces Redness and Inflammation
Boosts Collagen
Vitamin C helps to build strong and healthy collagen. The skin cannot make healthy collagen without sufficient vitamin C. Collagen is the building block of the skin and keeps our skin looking youthful and smooth. As we age, collagen production slows down, which can lead to sagging and loss of firmness and elasticity. When applied topically, vitamin C accelerates the production of both collagen and elastin. This dynamic duo ensures the skin remains plump and firm, effectively countering the signs of aging. By integrating Vitamin C into your skincare routine, you invest in sustaining the skin's elasticity, allowing it to defy the effects of time.
Reduces the appearance of age spots and pigmentation
Age spots and pigmentation results from abnormal melanin deposits most commonly caused by the skin’s overexposure to the sun’s UV rays and environmental stresses and can cause uneven skin tone. Vitamin C helps inhibit the production of tyrosinase, an enzyme that helps produce melanin, preventing pigmentation. Incorporating Vitamin C into your skincare regimen becomes a step towards achieving a radiant complexion that defies the visible impact of time and environmental stressors.
Anti-Ageing Properties
Vitamin C stands as a potent defender against premature aging, working to restore a smoother, more youthful complexion. By boosting collagen production, it diminishes the appearance of wrinkles and enhances skin elasticity and firmness. This powerhouse vitamin also safeguards against collagen loss that accompanies aging. In essence, integrating Vitamin C into your skincare routine becomes a commitment to maintaining a timeless, radiant beauty that defies the effects of time.
Protects against sun damage and environmental pollution
Vitamin C provides a reservoir of antioxidants to help protect the skin from the damaging and ageing effects of UV damage and environmental pollution. This can create free radicals in the skin, which may damage skin cells and lead to the breakdown of collagen leading to premature ageing, wrinkles, loss of firmness & elasticity and uneven skin tone.
Promotes wound healing
Vitamin C takes the lead in promoting wound healing by leveraging its anti-inflammatory properties and stimulating collagen production. Its dual action minimises inflammation, providing a conducive environment for effective tissue repair, while also ensuring the quality and strength of the newly formed collagen. Including Vitamin C in your routine becomes a key element in fostering a swift and efficient recovery from injuries, both minor and more substantial.
Hydrates Skin
Without sufficient moisture, the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin, starts to dry out, which can lead to dehydrated, itchy, scaly skin and premature ageing. Hydration is vital to keeping your skin healthy and happy. Clinical studies confirm the efficacy of Vitamin C in helping the skin retain its precious moisture. By locking in hydration, Vitamin C contributes to a plump, smooth, and well-hydrated complexion.
Including Vitamin C in your skincare routine becomes a proactive step toward preserving your skin's moisture balance, ensuring it remains resilient and radiant in the face of daily challenges. So, let Vitamin C be the hydration hero your skin deserves for a supple and glowing complexion.
Reduces Redness and Inflammation
Uneven skin tone and redness can be caused by various factors, like skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea, spending too much time in the sun, hormonal changes, or an unhealthy diet. These issues can make your skin look irritated and uneven.
Vitamin C comes to the rescue with its special qualities. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers, Vitamin C works to calm redness and even out your skin tone. It's like giving your skin a gentle hug. Not only does it reduce redness, but Vitamin C also steps in to help damaged capillaries, the tiny blood vessels that can cause redness. This dual action helps create a smoother, more even skin tone, leaving your skin looking and feeling more comfortable and balanced. So, let Vitamin C be your go-to friend for a calm and radiant complexion.
How to use vitamin C and where to find it
Vitamin C is hugely beneficial for all skin types, helping it look and feel healthier and happier for longer.
Ready to incorporate vitamin C into your daily skin routine? You’ll find it in the following Nourish London products:
Protect Replenishing Peptide Serum
Antioxidant Multi-Tasking Super Balm
Probiotic Multi-Mineral Repair Mask
Other products in the Protect range
Holiday tip: if you are going away this Summer, Dr Hili recommends using a topical product rich in Vitamin C, starting a week before your trip. This will top up the skinʼs own reservoir of antioxidants which will help to prevent skin damage whilst you are away. Think of it as giving your skin an extra layer of defence, ensuring it stays healthy and radiant throughout your holiday.