Give Your Skin A Boost - Vitamin C In Skin Care

Vitamin C boosts your immune system and known for its anti-oxidant properties. On the skin, it fights off bacteria, free radicals and hastens collagen (a structural protein of the skin) synthesis. Vitamin C in skin care is not a sunscreen but it lifts the effectiveness of sunscreen making them a good combination.

Topical use of vitamin C in skin care is not as simple as it may seem, though, because vitamin C can be very unstable. It undergoes oxidation as soon as exposed to the air. The end product of oxidized vitamin C is not only ineffective, it may increase the formation of free radicals, which is potentially harmful.

Scientists, however, couldn't take out the fact that vitamin C is essential for a healthy skin. Thus, they have been looking for matches that provide similar superior benefits. L-ascorbic acid, one of the few topical agents, has been proven to be effective in alleviating wrinkles and fine lines and boosts collagen synthesis. Plus, it stays in the skin for approximately 72 hours. L-ascorbic acid also prevents UV immunosuppression, a skin reaction that leads to skin cancer. Topical vitamin C in skin care products using more compact and stabilized vitamin C, and sold commercially, may not be sufficiently effective as well. They can be very expensive, too.

However, you can still benefit from topical vitamin C in skin care through a do-it-yourself preparation. For those who prefer commercial topical solutions of vitamin C in skin care, scientists were able to discover two compounds that release L-ascorbic acid that have been incorporated in anti-aging topical solutions: ascorbyl palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate. These compounds were found to easily penetrate the skin and release the beneficial agent, L-ascorbic acid.

Vitamin C derivatives

Ascorbyl palmitate is a vitamin C derivative that is soluble in fat and a great alternative to vitamin C in skin care. It has likewise been found to have at least similar effectiveness as vitamin E in giving protection to the skin from lipid peroxidation (a type of free radical damage in our skin). The downside is that it doesn't boost collagen synthesis in the same manner as vitamin C does.

Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, on the other hand, is water-soluble and provides as much benefit in collagen synthesis as vitamin C. Moreover, it is nonirritating and more stable making it less prone to oxidation. Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, nonetheless, also reacts to light and air, hence, proper storage is important to maintain freshness.

Vitamin C in skin care is effective in slowing down the aging process to maintain a youthful skin. However, if you wish to go on this route, make sure what you have contain the suitable agent, which should be helpful and not harmful to your skin.