Vitamin C isn’t just for the common cold. It is an important component to our everyday health. When applied to the skin it acts as a powerful antioxidant, fighting environmental assaults we encounter on a daily basis. These assaults come from things like the sun, pollution, and smoking.
Please beware, not all vitamin C serums are the same. Vitamin C is highly unstable when exposed to light and oxygen. That means you need to look for a serum that comes in a container that won’t allow either of those things in. You also want to look for a serum that is composed of L-ascorbic acid. This form of vitamin C has been shown to have the greatest effect on human skin. And for those of you who love the numbers game, you will need to adjust your thinking when it comes to vitamin C. It is not as simple as, higher concentration equals a higher impact. Studies show that staying below 20% concentration of L-ascorbic acid has the greatest usability in human skin.
Notice how I keep saying serum? That’s because we want our L-ascorbic acid to enter the skin quickly. Remember, it’s unstable in the light and air. We want the good stuff to get in the skin and do it’s job before it breaks down in our hands. Molecularly, serums are better suited for this purpose. Because a serum is more liquid, it will have a smaller molecular size when compared to a cream or lotion. Most creams and lotions do not actually enter the skin, they sit near the top, and protect the cells of the stratum corneum. So it makes sense to say that we need those small molecules to carry our vitamin C into our skin, where it can protect and correct.
Vitamin C is one of my absolute favourite ingredients when it comes to skin care. I will speak more about it in future posts because there is so much to the science behind it when it comes to our skin. In the meantime, see a clinical (medical) esthetician in your area and ask them what vitamin C serum they can recommend for you. There are many amazing cosmeceutical and para medical skin care lines out there to choose from.
Do you have a skin care line that you love? Share it with us in the comments section.
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