Vitamin C 101

 As you all know, I'm all about that glow. 

Glow is achieved and maintained by adding Vitamin C into your skincare routine. 

Vitamin C acts as a brightening agent that improves the appearance of dull skin by giving you a more even and bright complexion with a natural “glow from within” look.

Medik8 is the first brand that kindly reached out to be earlier this year, introducing the world of Vitamin C in my routine. And since then, I have been researching, collecting and improvising my knowledge about Vitamin C and the effects it make in skincare. Friends and family have asked for my thoughts, opinions and recommendations, and hence I thought, why not create a post on everything I know about Vitamin C so far... and so here's....

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Using Vitamin C For Your Skin

When you hear of Vitamin C, do you just jump to the conclusion of oranges? I too used to think this way! But Vitamin C as an ingredient in skincare does SO MUCH MORE than a cup of OJ. 

One of the best skincare ingredients to incorporate in your daily routine, even dermatologists and esthetician-alikes praise Vitamin C for its protecting antioxidant power and ability to even out your complexion. It’s not all talk, either. Scientists have actually put these claims to the test, and the results are pretty darn compelling.

Dr. Hadley King, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City says, “Studies have shown that the use of vitamin C in topical applications for at least 12 weeks has been shown to decrease wrinkling, reduce protein fiber damage, decrease apparent roughness of skin and increase production of collagen,” and “Further, topical vitamin C has also been shown to reverse some of the age-related changes in the epidermis.”

How does Vitamin C work? Why do we need it?

As we age, we may develop hyper-pigmentations on your face, neck, and chest from accumulated sun exposure and other environmental factors. If you want to fade the discolouration, consider skincare products containing vitamin C, as it’s best known to brighten and even-out skin tone.

The appearance of hyper-pigmentation can be reduced with regular use of a product that contains vitamin C because vitamin C inhibits tyrosinase. Tyrosinase is an enzyme that catalyses the production of melanin, which is what gives our skin, hair, and eyes its colour. 

Melanin increases in the skin through sun exposure, which is how our skin tans. Melanin is produced in the skin basically as a form of protection against UV rays. By inhibiting tyrosinase, vitamin C prevents the increase of melanin and gradually fades away dark spots that have too much melanin.

Over time, with vitamin C use, you can even out your skin tone, making it more luminous and gracefully age.

Beside its brightening property, vitamin C is also known to be essential for collagen synthesis and works as an antioxidant to fight free radical damage.

• role in collagen synthesis

Collagen is a structural protein that occurs abundantly in the body. It makes up about 25% to 35% of the protein content in the body. It can be found in tendons, ligaments, muscles and, of course, skin. In the skin, it is responsible for keeping it firm and supple, but unfortunately, it gradually degrades past the age of 30. This is why we develop fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. It’s nice to think that if collagen didn’t gradually degrade, we wouldn’t have wrinkles and sagging. But sadly that’s not the case.  And so here it enters vitamin C, which helps with collagen synthesis.

*if you are into the itsy-bitsy of why it stimulates collagen synthesis, do check out the article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/collagen-synthesis

• role as an antioxidant and fighting free radical damage

Vitamin C has potent antioxidant abilities. Antioxidants are essential compounds that inhibit oxidation. Free radicals are produced from oxidation, which are unstable atoms that can damage cells throughout the body. When skin cells are damaged, this accelerate aging. And so this is where Vitamin C comes in, acting as antioxidants to prevent this damage, thereby also preventing common signs of aging. They can slow down the degradation of collagen, which is essential in keeping skin healthy, youthful and firm.

 Vitamin C Tips: Do’s and Don’ts

Here is a list I've accumulated over the months of researching and tips I was given from brands I've worked with, products that contain Vitamin C in the past:

• Do apply your vitamin C product in the morning - believe it or not, morning is actually the best time to apply because it acts to fight against environmental damage and UV rays; you can use it at night but be careful as you shouldn't be mixing with certain products like....
• Don’t combine your vitamin C with retinol. Recommended to use vitamin C during the day and a retinoid at night. 
• You also shouldn’t mix vitamin C with AHAs or BHAs since doing so can cause irritation.
• Do wear SPF with your vitamin C products in the morning. The ingredient can make skin more sensitive to the sun, plus applying sunscreen on top of your vitamin C product helps prevent the ingredient from oxidizing* on your skin. 

** Oxidation can make your vitamin C less effective and can even lead to the formation of darker blackheads.

• Don’t use a product that’s oxidized in the bottle. Vitamin C serum is generally clear in colour. When it starts to become yellowish/brown, this means it has oxidized too much and the product is no longer effective.
• Do store your product in a cool, dark, dry place. To prevent expedited oxidation, keep your vitamin C serum out of the light and in a cool, dark place. Also, make sure the lid is completely sealed. (This only applies to vitamin C in liquid-form {more unstable}, not powders.)
• Do wear your vitamin C every day. Make vitamin C application a part of your everyday routine and continuous use lead to amazing results! Note that you may have to work up to this frequency if you’re new to the ingredient and/or have sensitive skin, for example, starting it off with using it every second day, slowly incorporating in your routine!

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Future posts about Vitamin C will be labelled as so ----

** this guide will be updated throughout the time // last update: May 2021