No single ingredient can promise eternal youth, but vitamin C comes close. Known as an effective anti-ageing ingredient for quite some time, Vitamin C still tops the rank as a must-have addition to skincare products.
This powerful antioxidant destroys free radicals, which can age you prematurely – but its real magic lies in the key role it plays in the production of collagen, the part of your skin that keeps you looking youthful.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body – it makes up 70% of the weight of human skin. It’s this protein that gives structure, firmness and strength to the connective tissue of the skin, bones and blood vessels. However, collagen naturally breaks down as we age, triggering those dreaded wrinkles and volume loss.
Bye-bye, wrinkles.
Optimal collagen production is vital in healthy ageing, and this process is directly related to the skin’s vitamin C levels. Vitamin C is found in both the outer and inner layers of skin, although higher concentrations are found in the inner layers. Ageing reduces the levels in both. Excessive exposure to sunlight, pollutants and smoking can also lower vitamin C levels, especially in the outer layer.
Applying products containing vitamin C boosts dwindling reserves of this essential vitamin in the cells, improving the skin’s appearance in several ways:
- Increasing the number of cells that make collagen, which naturally decreases with age.
- Helping to reverse some of the age-related structural changes in the skin that manifest as wrinkles, thinning and volume loss.
Optimal collagen production is vital in healthy ageing, and this process is directly related to the skin’s vitamin C levels.
- Promoting the synthesis of the skin’s barrier lipids, limiting water loss and preventing the skin from becoming rough and dry.
- Lessening the DNA damage caused by UV light. Vitamin C is not a sunscreen, but it protects against environmental stress through its antioxidant activity. It also lowers inflammation, protects against cell death and even reduces sunburn from UVB exposure, helping to prevent the possibility of skin cancer.
- Aiding the healing process by creating scar tissue and increasing elastin formation, which thickens the skin.
- Reducing inflammation caused by acne and lowering melanin production, resulting in a clearer and lighter skin tone.
Quality Counts
Formulating skincare products with vitamin C is a challenge, as it’s highly instable molecule. However, a specialised, stable, oil-soluble form is available – if you want visible results, confirm that manufacturers use this form, or ask for proof of stability if other forms are used. Products containing the oil-soluble form are certainly worth the extra spend, for its excellent penetration and effectiveness.
Maximise Your Results
Eating vitamin C-rich food – like citrus, green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, kiwi fruit and guavas – can enhance skincare products’ effects. Your body can’t store this vitamin, so you need to eat these foods daily. If you’re not sure that you’re getting enough of this vitamin from your diet, take a supplement containing both the water- and fat-soluble forms of vitamin C.
Follow the image link to view our Zinsel AA – Anti-Ageing product.
