Did you know that natural vitamin C is essential for your skin? Since your skin is the largest organ in your body, it’s an excellent indicator of your general health. In brief: a healthy skin is an indicator of a healthy you.
For centuries, it’s been recognized that vitamin C is vital for health. Sailors became ill and died without fresh food—their only source of vitamin C. Today, synthetic vitamin C is common, but is it equal to natural vitamin C, which comes from food sources? (1)
We’re proud to say that our Organic GreenVITAMIN C is blended from 100% certified organic food sources, and is completely natural, containing NO synthetic vitamin C.
Vitamin C and skincare: healthy skin contains vitamin C
Studies show that normal skin contains high concentrations of vitamin C. Moreover, when we’re deficient in vitamin C, our skin loses important functions. (1) Wounds are slower to heal, for example.
As we age, our skin loses its vitamin C content. It also becomes significantly less elastic, resulting in wrinkles. We may be subject to various illnesses too, because vitamin C is essential for overall health. (2) Studies show that we can increase our skin’s vitamin C, if we supplement our vitamin C intake.
Here’s good news. Some 27 studies (2) have shown that supplementing dietary vitamin C increased the amount of vitamin C in the skin. It also improved skin elasticity, as well as its moisture content, and improved skin’s healing ability. Let’s look at some ways in which vitamin C helps to give you healthier skin.
1. Vitamin C helps guard your skin against damage from ultraviolet (UV) radiation (sun damage)
UV radiation from sun exposure is bad for your skin, so is UV radiation from skin tanning beds. (2) It leads to photoaging: skin damage from long-term UV radiation exposure.
Photoaging is similar to the skin damage caused by aging itself, but it happens faster. Studies have shown that long-term photoaging can lead to skin cancer. (2)
For protection, remember to apply sunscreen each time you go out in the sun and take natural vitamin C to maintain healthy skin.
2. Suffering from dry skin? Vitamin C may help
Dry skin can happen at any age. If your skin is dry, it may be the result of skin care products, illness, the environment—or aging. (2)
For many years, it was thought that drier skin as we get older occurs because our skin carries less moisture. However, now it’s believed that ceramide-deficiency is to blame, as well as aged skin’s lack of natural moisturising factor (NMF).
Can vitamin C help prevent dry skin, no matter our age? Is it a natural moisturizer? Studies of cell cultures indicate that vitamin C may influence our skin’s ability to protect itself from moisture loss, whether because of aging, or other factors.
Therefore, while no definitive research studies show that vitamin C helps your skin retain moisture, it may. (2)
3. Wrinkles: natural vitamin C may help
Although wrinkles occur as we age, UV exposure and smoking can speed up this process. It’s believed that lack of collagen in the skin reduces our skin’s elasticity, and this leads to wrinkle formation.
Wrinkle treatments with topical vitamin C in creams and serums may help. Indeed, recent studies using ultrasound images to assess the thickness of skin layers showed vitamin C’s efficacy. (2)
However, the studies also showed that the effectiveness of vitamin C creams depended on the amount of vitamin C already in the person’s skin. So, wrinkle removal is an inside job: the more vitamin C your skin contains, the better.
4. Skin inflammation: vitamin C may aid healing from dermatitis, psoriasis and acne
Inflammatory skin conditions such dermatitis, psoriasis and acne are distressing. Not only are they painful, they can be embarrassing. To overcome these conditions, not only does the underlying inflammation require treatment, your skin needs to be repaired as well.
Many studies show that good nutrition is essential to resolve inflammation and aid in skin repair. (2) Topical vitamin C has been used in anti-inflammatory products, because lowered vitamin C in the skin has been shown in these conditions.
If you suffer from a skin condition, a natural vitamin C supplement may help.
For glowing skin and overall health vitamin C is an essential element
Vitamin C skincare starts with the amount of vitamin C in your skin. Topical skincare treatments like lotions and serums may help too, but for best results, eat fresh food containing vitamin C and/or try a natural vitamin C supplement, such as our Organic GreenVITAMIN C.
Reference: sources
(1) Synthetic or Food-Derived Vitamin C—Are They Equally Bioavailable?