Do Vitamin C Products Work?
Facts You Should Know About Topical Vitamin C
In recent years, there has been an explosion in the number of skin rejuvenation, anti-wrinkle products with vitamin C. Do their claims have any substance? Do these products work? The situation is more complicated than you thought. On one hand, vitamin C does possess definite merits for wrinkle reduction and skin rejuvenation. On the other hand, most vitamin C products don't work.
Ordinary Vitamin C Does Not Last
Most vitamin C formulas are relatively unstable unless in a dry form. In the presence of air or other oxidizing agents, vitamin C is easily converted to an oxidized form. Vitamin C in its oxidized form is of no benefit for collagen synthesis or free radical scavenging. It actually promotes free radical formation causing damage to collagen, DNA and other vital structures. If skin care products are stored or prepared poorly, vitamin C may already be oxidized by the time you apply it to your skin.
But these problems can easily be resolved if:
- Vitamin C concentration in a product is high enough to create a substantial increase in vitamin C levels in skin cells;
- The Vitamin C is absorbed quickly by the skin so that it has the chance to work while intact;
- Vitamin C is properly preserved by sufficient amounts of protective substances.
Ordinary vitamin C is so fragile it oxidizes and disappears upon contact with air, water, heat and light. Most vitamin C used in topical products is so unstable that 90% of its potency is gone after the first month. VesPro's C Factor main ingredient, Ester-C Topical, contains 14.3% vitamin C, and retains 90% of its vitamin C activity for two years at room temperature. C FactorTM 14.3% vitamin C is a uniquely stable formulation that doesn't degrade rapidly like other vitamin C preparations may. Another plus to the unique C FactorTM formula is the extremely fast absorption and non sticky application which comes from the inclusion of CoQ10, pycnogenol and a proprietary herbal complex. It maintains potency in the bottle, so when you apply it, it sends concentrations of stable vitamin C directly into the skin.
C Is for Collagen
Vitamin C is known for its importance in the manufacture of collagen. Topical vitamin C has also shown to prevent the free radical skin damage that occurs following exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. Free radicals are unstable molecules that steal electrons from your body's healthy molecules to balance themselves. Unchecked, free radicals can cause significant tissue damage and contribute to premature wrinkling.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C has been used as an aid for the healing of wounds, to help boost the immune system, and help fight the common cold. Recent scientific research has shown that vitamin C is also a potent antioxidant that is capable of preventing and possibly even reversing the effects of aging on human skin.
It is for this reason that we use vitamin C as a key ingredient in our anti-aging formulations. If topically applied, a high-dose vitamin C serum would also help prevent and treat dry skin problems, especially for geriatric patients.
Vitamin C and Melanogenesis
Studies have shown that vitamin C reduces the formation of melanin. This result predicts that vitamin C could have a skin lightening effect because melanin is responsible for the dark pigmentation of human skin. Studies indicated that if applied topically, vitamin C has skin lightening effects. Vitamin C can be used as a skin clarifier to even skin tones and lightens the dark skin blemishes and age spots that are characteristic of aging skin. It is especially effective around the eyes.
Vitamin C and Free Radicals
Studies indicated that less collagen is produced if human fibroblasts are exposed to reactive oxygen species (free radicals). Free radicals are thought to be responsible for cross-linking of elastin and collagen. This cross-linking causes wrinkles and skin sagging. Excessive exposure to UV radiation can damage the skin. Topical vitamin C is capable of controlling the inflammation resulting from ultraviolet exposure that eventually leads to wrinkling and skin cancer.
Recent studies show that topically applied vitamin C is absorbed into
the dermis in levels high enough to protect the skin from UV radiation damage as measured by erythema and sunburn formation.
