Let's Talk Vitamin C

What is vit­a­min C?

Vit­a­min C, also known as ascor­bic acid, is an essen­tial nutri­ent found in foods and sup­ple­ments. It sup­ports sev­er­al body func­tions includ­ing col­la­gen cre­ation and tis­sue growth. It also repairs and fights cell dam­age from free rad­i­cals (atoms that cause ill­ness and aging).

What are the skin­care ben­e­fits of vit­a­min C?

Vit­a­min C is essen­tial for growth and repair in all body tis­sues. This includes aid­ing in the recov­ery of cuts and wounds, main­tain­ing strong bones, car­ti­lage, skin and teeth as well as off­set­ting dai­ly skin irri­tants such as UV rays and air pollutants.

Vit­a­min C also acts as one of your body’s most pow­er­ful antiox­i­dants, block­ing dam­age caused by free rad­i­cals. Free rad­i­cals play a role in pre­ma­ture aging of the skin and may cause ill­ness­es such as arthri­tis, can­cer, heart dis­ease and oth­er degen­er­a­tive diseases.

When applied top­i­cal­ly, vit­a­min C has skin-heal­ing prop­er­ties that accel­er­ate the pro­duc­tion of the pro­teins col­la­gen, elastin and melanin. These pro­teins are respon­si­ble for strength and struc­ture in your skin which can help fight pre­ma­ture aging and skin dis­col­orations such as dark spots or hyperpigmentation.

How can I get vit­a­min C?

Diet

Try incor­po­rat­ing the fol­low­ing vit­a­min C‑rich fruits and veg­eta­bles into your dai­ly diet:

Fruits – blue­ber­ries, can­taloupes, cran­ber­ries, grape­fruit, kiwi, man­go, oranges, papaya, pineap­ple and watermelon

Veg­eta­bles — broc­coli, Brus­sels sprouts, cab­bage, cau­li­flower, leafy greens, pep­pers, spinach, squash, sweet pota­toes and tomatoes

Top­i­cal Products

Top­i­cal vit­a­min C prod­ucts have become extreme­ly pop­u­lar over the past few years because of their effec­tive results on over­all skin improve­ment. Vit­a­min C can be for­mu­lat­ed into creams, pow­ders and serums that are imme­di­ate­ly absorbed by your skin upon application.

Depend­ing on your skin type and desired out­come, cer­tain vit­a­min C prod­ucts may work bet­ter for you than oth­ers. Our licensed estheti­cians and board-cer­ti­fied der­ma­tol­o­gists can assess your skin con­di­tion to rec­om­mend a vit­a­min C prod­uct that is best suit­ed for you. How­ev­er, in gen­er­al, top­i­cal vit­a­min C prod­ucts may be used to reduce red­ness, even out your skin tone, pro­mote over­all bright­en­ing and delay signs of pre­ma­ture aging. 

Some of our most pop­u­lar vit­a­min C prod­ucts include: 

• CE Fer­ulic® by Skinceuticals
• Intell­ishade® with SPF 45
• Journee Bio-Restora­tive Day Cream by Neocutis

Sup­ple­ments

Anoth­er way to increase vit­a­min C in your diet is through sup­ple­ments. While you should always con­sult with your pri­ma­ry care provider or dietit­ian before tak­ing a sup­ple­ment, a dai­ly vit­a­min C sup­ple­ment could be rec­om­mend­ed depend­ing on your assess­ment and over­all health goals.

To find a vit­a­min C prod­uct that is best for you, request an appoint­ment with one of our licensed estheti­cians near you.