Most people know to reach for vitamin C whenever they get the sniffles. However, there are more benefits of vitamin C than just immunity support. Vitamin C should be an essential ingredient in your skin care products, as it can heal the skin and even reverse the signs of aging. In fact, there is a long tradition of using vitamin C in skin care products. Tibetan women rubbed sea buckthorn on their skin, which are very rich in vitamin C. Additionally, many ancient cultures used rose petals and oil on their skin, which among other benefits include high levels of vitamin C. Whether you ingest it or have it as an ingredient in your skin care line, you should ensure to have some vitamin C in your life.

One reason vitamin C is so helpful in keeping the skin looking young and healthy is that it is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants fight the oxidation in cells that causes them to break down, leading to signs of aging. Antioxidants also fight any free radicals or toxins in your skin that cause damage. Free radicals also damage the collagen in skin, leading to wrinkles, dryness, and fine lines. Vitamin C fights the free radicals, preventing any fine lines and wrinkles. Some studies have even shown vitamin C can reverse DNA damage done by free radicals. Through keeping your skin cells healthy by fighting free radicals and oxidation stress, vitamin C keeps you skin looking radiant.

There are several antioxidants you can use for keeping your skin healthy, but the reason you should ensure vitamin C is one of them is that it is essential for building collagen in your skin. Collagen is the protein in your skin cells, and it makes up about 75 percent of your skin. Vitamin C is used in the formation of the protein chain and the final conversion of collagen, and it is also a necessary cofactor for the enzyme that is necessary for creating collagen. Your skin needs collagen in order to remain firm, have elasticity, be taut and look youthful. Collagen also helps to grow cells, blood vessels, ligaments and more. Without vitamin C, the collagen in your skin and body cells starts to break down, leading to sagging skin and wrinkles. Through providing vitamin C to the skin, it restores some of the collagen and reduces wrinkles.

Vitamin C is also essential for the skin to repair itself, including healing any wounds and creating scar tissue. It speeds up the natural skin repair system and stops any further damage from occurring. Vitamin C has also been shown to help with acne, especially healing any acne breakouts and preventing scars. Some studies also show that vitamin C can help reduce the damage caused by sun exposure, especially UVB radiation. It will not prevent sun damage, but it can lessen it. It also combats against sunspots and age spots on your face and skin.

When you combine all the great benefits of vitamin C, there is no surprise that it makes you look younger and your skin more radiant. There have been studies that have shown that after applying vitamin C topically to the skin for 12 weeks, there was a reduction in fine line and wrinkles and even skin tone. One study even showed an over 50 percent improvement in the facial appearance after participants underwent vitamin C therapy. Unfortunately, overtime, aging, the environment and pollutants reduce the amount of vitamin C in your skin, leading to a haggard, aged look.

Luckily, you can easily replenish vitamin C, even though your body cannot manufacture it. You can get vitamin C through many different foods, including oranges, broccoli, kale, and more. The problem with ingested vitamin C is that it does not always get absorbed into the skin. However, your skin also easily absorbs vitamin C. In fact, it is more beneficial to directly apply to your skin, as it absorbs almost 20 times as much in comparison to when you ingest it. You can find vitamin C as an ingredient in various products, although you can also find it as its own step in your skin care regime. If you are applying just vitamin C, you want a product that contains between 3 and 10 percent vitamin C for the best results. You only want to apply vitamin C once a day, and it can lead to dryness in some people. Just add some moisturizer if you find it drying to your skin. Products to try include: SkinMedica Vitamin C+E, PCA Skin C-Strength 20%, NuFACE Lifter – Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid Serum and Peter Thomas Roth Camu Camu Powder.

—

Photo credit: evanblaser