Vitamin C For Skin: Benefits, How To Use, And Side Effects

Our skin needs constant care as it faces challenges like wrinkles, sun damage, stress, and signs of aging. All these issues can impact the overall skin appearance. The good news is, you may use vitamin C for skin-related issues. This antioxidant brightens the skin, prevents free radical damage, protects your skin, and improves overall skin health. Read on to know the benefits of vitamin C and how you can use it.

Benefits Of Using Vitamin C For Your Skin

The skin acts as a barrier against dirt, pollution, harsh weather, etc. It has two layers – the outer epidermis layer and the inner dermal layer. The epidermal layer offers barrier function while the dermal layer takes care of skin strength and elasticity. The dermal layer provides nutrition to the epidermis. Skin contains high concentrations of vitamin C, which stimulates collagen synthesis and offers antioxidant protection against UV rays (1). Here are the many benefits of vitamin C for your skin.

1. 1. May Help Stimulate Collagen: Vitamin C stimulates collagen formation and is essential for balanced collagen production (1). A healthy collagen supply improves complexion.
   2. Has Antioxidant Activity: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. It eliminates oxidants caused by pollutants and UV exposure (1). The outer layer of the skin has concentrated amounts of vitamin C that protect the skin from oxidants. What sets this vitamin apart is that it provides enzymatic and non-enzymatic defenses against oxidants. Vitamin C also has synergistic effects with vitamin E.
   3. May Help Inhibit Hyperpigmentation: Increased melanin production results in dark patches on the skin. Vitamin C can help tackle this issue as some of its derivatives, like magnesium phosphate ascorbyl, can decrease melanin synthesis (1). This may help treat melasma or age spots.
   4. May Promote Wound Healing: Vitamin C can increase the proliferation and migration of dermal fibroblasts in the skin. These fibroblasts help heal wounds effectively (1). Both topical application and increased intake of vitamin C are effective in stimulating wound healing. Research shows that supplementation of vitamin C, paired with vitamin E, can improve wound healing in children with extensive burns. Increased vitamin C levels in smokers, abstaining smokers, and non-smokers had also improved the rate of wound healing. Topical application of vitamin C prevented permanent scars in Asians. (1).

1. May Slow Down Skin Aging: Research shows that intake of adequate fruits and vegetables or related supplements may improve skin elasticity and color. It may also reduce skin wrinkles and roughness (1). Taking fruits and vegetables may also enhance vitamin C levels and improve skin health. UV damage can lead to early signs of skin aging like hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, reduced skin elasticity, and roughness. Vitamin C may help prevent this damage. Excess exposure to sun rays may also increase the risk of skin cancer and sunburns. However, vitamin C, paired with vitamin E, may effectively reduce skin inflammation and injuries caused by UV rays.

• Dry Skin: Dry skin can be caused due to an improper or indequate skin care regimen age, illness, certain medications, environmental changes, and humidity. The skin’s barrier layer contains about 40-50% of lipids, and their deficiency may lead to dry skin. Vitamin C may increase the production of lipids.

• Roughness: Creams containing vitamin C may decrease skin roughness.

• Wrinkles: Wrinkles are a result of skin aging. They may be caused prematurely by oxidants from smoking, UV exposure, and other factors. Vitamin C can help counter these.

6. May Reduce Skin Inflammation: Skin inflammation occurs in conditions like atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and acne. Its symptoms are pain, dryness, and itching. Research indicates that vitamin C has anti-inflammatory properties and may help manage acne and rosacea (2), (3). It prevents post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Understanding the benefits of vitamin C benefits is sure to convince you to add this power ingredient to your daily skin care routine. You can apply topical creams and serums that contain vitamin C or add vitamin C foods to your diet. Consuming vitamin C supplements may also help improve skin health.

Effects Of Vitamin C Deficiency

Vitamin C deficiency is called scurvy, which is characterized by fragile skin and impaired wound healing. Excess exposure to pollutants or UV rays may lead to low levels of vitamin C in the epidermal layer (4). Research shows that people with aged or photo-damaged skin have low vitamin C levels (1). Its deficiency may hamper wound healing, thicken the outermost layer of the skin, and cause subcutaneous bleeding.

How To Use Vitamin C For The Skin

Incorporating vitamin C into your skincare regimen is crucial since it is one of the important vitamins for glowing skin. The vitamin C levels in the skin can be balanced by applying topical creams, serums, and patches. But the effectiveness of vitamin C topical creams depends on their pH level (which should be below 3.5 to 4). Vitamin C should be added in the form of ascorbic acid for effective skin penetration (1), (2). Most serums contain active vitamin C and are colorless, but they can get oxidized upon exposure to light. Apply topical creams in regular 8-hour gaps for best results.

The most stable forms of vitamin C include:

• Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP): It reduces water loss in the skin. It is photoprotective and stimulates collagen production.
• Ascorbyl 6 Palmitate: It is a free-radical scavenger that forms (or breaks down to) vitamin C.
• Disodium Isostearyl2-0 L-ascorbyl Phosphate (VCP-IS-Na): It enhances permeability in the epidermal layer.

Ascorbic acid sulfate and Tetraisopalmitoyl ascorbic acid are two other stable forms of vitamin C that are currently under research.
However, the effectiveness of topical vitamin C creams depends on the amount of vitamin C in the skin. If there is a balanced amount of vitamin C in the skin, it may not absorb the same from topical creams. Hence, intake of vitamin C foods and supplements may be more effective. This may prevent certain skin diseases like atopic dermatitis and herpes zoster (5).

Quick Tip

Choose dome shaped brushes with natural fibers for better blending.You can pair vitamin C with hyaluronic acid skincare products, as they may boost hydration and plumpness, providing a more youthful appearance to the skin.

How To Store Vitamin C Serum

Proper storage of vitamin C serum is essential to maintain its potency and effectiveness. First, store the serum in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight and heat. Exposure to light and warmth can degrade the serum and reduce its efficacy. Keeping it in its original dark or opaque bottle also helps shield it from light exposure.

In addition, tightly seal the bottle after each use to prevent air from entering, which can oxidize the serum and diminish its benefits. Refrigerating the serum helps prolong its shelf life and maintains its stability.

These practices ensure that your vitamin C serum remains potent and effective when you use it for skin care.

While vitamin C is clearly beneficial to the skin, it also may cause certain side effects.

Side Effects Of Vitamin C

Vitamin C topical creams are mostly considered safe. But they also may cause stinging, erythema, or dryness in some cases. These issues can be remedied with a moisturizer. Consult a dermatologist if any irritation occurs. Be careful while applying vitamin C around your eyes as it may cause burning.

Quick Tip

Store vitamin C serums in a cool, dark place to prevent oxidation. Oxidized products may be less effective. It is recommended to pay attention to the product’s color and consistency.

As with any nutritional supplement, there is a recommended dosage for vitamin C intake. Scroll on to know in detail.

Dosage For Vitamin C

The German, Austrian, and Swiss nutrition societies recommend an intake of about 95 mg/day of vitamin C for adult women (6). Similarly, 105 mg/day is recommended for pregnant women from the fourth month and 125 mg/day for lactating women. Girls aged 1 to under 15 years have increasing requirements ranging from 20 to 85 mg/day. Female adolescents aged 15 to 19 years are advised to take 90 mg/day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use vitamin C on your face every day?

Yes, vitamin C can be used once or twice per day. All we need to do is cleanse, tone, use vitamin C serum, and then moisturize.

Does vitamin C help reduce under-eye circles?

Besides the benefits mentioned above, vitamin C is a powerful collagen booster. Hence, using it at bedtime will significantly enhance the fragile under-eye area and conceal discoloration (1).

Vitamin C is a well-known powerful antioxidant that reduces the appearance of fine lines to brighten the skin. Watch this video and learn from expert dermatologist Dr. Davin Lim explaining the many ways how vitamin C benefits the skin.

Was this article helpful?

Reviewer Author Editor Fact Checker

Dr. Priya GillMBBCH, MRCP

 

Dr. Priya Gill is a consultant dermatologist in Klang, Malaysia, with over 16 years of experience. She specializes in the management of all medical and surgical dermatology issues and has a special interest in laser therapy and phototherapy.

Read full bio of Dr. Priya Gill

Anjali SayeeAssociate Editor

 

Anjali is an associate editor at StyleCraze. She specializes in hairstyles and hair and skin care and has written over 200 articles in these domains. She has 7 years of experience, and her philosophy about hair and skin care is simple: if you love and care for it, it will be healthy.

Read full bio of Anjali Sayee

Ramona SinhaEditor

Ramona is an editor at StyleCraze with 11 years of experience in writing and editing. She has authored over 200 articles on skin and hair care. She graduated from the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, and did her post-graduation from the University of Kalyani, West Bengal.

Read full bio of Ramona Sinha

Swathi ESenior Beauty & Lifestyle Writer

Swathi has a postgraduate degree in English literature from The English And Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and over three years of experience in writing on beauty, health, and lifestyle. She also has a diploma in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Kottayam, and is a certified skincare coach.

Read full bio of Swathi E