Dedicating time to your skincare routine can increase your confidence and help you avoid severe health concerns like skin cancer. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that naturally occurs in your skin. It can help neutralise and eliminate oxidants found in environmental contaminants and after being exposed to UV light. According to research, administering vitamin C, commonly known as ascorbic acid in its most common form as a serum or lotion, may help reverse indications of ageing, control collagen formation, and minimise hyperpigmentation.
Here are some of the benefits of using Vitamin C in your skincare:
1. Reduces hyperpigmentation
Sun exposure, acne, and even medications can cause scars and dark spots on your skin, commonly known as hyperpigmentation. Some studies indicates that having a hyperpigmentation issue can be an unpleasant experience, with people of colour being disproportionately affected. Hyperpigmentation can be treated using a variety of treatments, including chemical peels, laser therapy, and topical therapies. However, topical vitamin C is a reasonably inexpensive strategy to eliminate dark spots since its chemical composition can inhibit melanin formation, a biological process that can lead to dark spots. Long-term, continuous use is required to get results.
2. Reduces Wrinkles
While everyone gets wrinkles eventually, long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can damage skin and cause premature wrinkles to form. Vitamin C is well known for increasing collagen formation through the process of collagen synthesis. In fact, vitamin C is essential for collagen formation. Collagen is a naturally occurring protein found in your skin and connective tissue that depletes over time. Retinoids are prescription-strength skincare treatments made from vitamin C. They are frequently used to address indications of ageing, such as wrinkles. If retinoids are too harsh for you, vitamin C can be a helpful alternative. According to some studies, it can diminish the appearance of wrinkles after at least 12 weeks of use.
3. Brightens skin tone
Hyperpigmentation can reduce your skin’s luminosity, making it appear uneven, drab, and with dark areas. According to one review, vitamin C can suppress melanin formation. Melanin is the pigment that determines skin colour. Vitamin C reduces melanin synthesis, which helps to remove dark spots, age and sunspots, acne scars, and melasma, resulting in a brighter, more even complexion.
4. Helps reduce scarring
The wound-healing process is highly intricate. Vitamin C can help your skin heal after a burn or other damage by stimulating collagen production. If you are deficient in vitamin C, your wounds will likely take longer to heal. This is because wound healing is linked to collagen creation, and vitamin C stimulates collagen production. Topical vitamin C can help minimise the likelihood of permanent scarring and the appearance of scars. One study discovered that taking vitamin C supplements improved skin repair and growth by increasing antioxidant levels in the body and skin.
5. Protects skin from sun damage
Exposure to contaminants or UV rays causes oxidative stress, which lowers vitamin C levels in your skin. Sun damage is caused by chemicals known as free radicals. Free radicals are molecules or fragments of molecules that include at least one set of unpaired electrons. They attempt to make bonds with atoms, electrons, or molecules to “steal” an electron. This causes serious skin damage. Vitamin C is high in antioxidants. Antioxidants maintain healthy skin cells by “giving” free radicals an electron, rendering them harmless. According to some research, using vitamin C before being exposed to UV rays will reduce your risk of developing sun damage or wrinkles.