Remember the 70s, when everyone was taking high doses of Vitamin C to ward off colds and other bugs? It turns out we were on to something. The benefits of Vitamin C for face, body and overall health are touted practically everywhere you look again—and rightfully so!! Vitamin C is a nutrient that is pivotal for skin health and overall wellness. With antioxidant protective properties and suitability for most skin types, it may be the pinnacle of skincare. You may use a Vitamin C serum faithfully, but when asked, "How does Vitamin C benefit you?" only a vague notion of what this antioxidant vitamin can do comes to mind. Stay with us to discover how Vitamin C helps skin glow and keeps bodies healthy, making it a skincare regimen and dietary essential.
How Vitamin C Benefits Skin
Vitamin C enables the body to use carbohydrates, fats, and protein, making it essential for our health. Once you discover everything this wonder vitamin does, you won’t ever want to skip applying your Vitamin C serum and moisturizer again. Here are the top 10 ways how Vitamin C helps your skin and body:
1. Antioxidant Support
This effective antioxidant is our ultimate protector. Along with Vitamin A and other antioxidant vitamins, it neutralizes free radical damage and helps reduce oxidative stress—the body’s inability to eradicate unstable molecules responsible for damaging tissues and cells. These unstable molecules, aka reactive oxygen species or ROS, are simply the result of our cellular metabolism’s response to pollution, smoking, UV radiation, and other environmental factors. Left unchecked, ROS can trigger inflammation, cell damage, aging, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and other chronic diseases.
2. Collagen Boost
Collagen is a significant protein in our skin, vital for maintaining skin elasticity and firmness. However, the amount of Collagen in our skin and bodies diminishes with age, leading to fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging. Thankfully, Vitamin C comes to the rescue, promoting repair and production of Collagen, Elastin, and other vital skin components, safeguarding against early signs of aging!
If that gets you to stick to your Vitamin C-infused skincare, great. But if you need more science-backed information to stay motivated, here’s how Vitamin C helps in collagen synthesis:
Stabilizes Collagen’s molecular structure by serving as a cofactor helping with enzyme residues .
Increases Collagen gene expression, stimulating fibroblasts (cells contributing to connective tissue formation).
Stabilizes and boosts the production of the collagen messenger RNA (mRNA), instructing our bodies to produce and replace lost collagen proteins.
Repairs aging and sun-damaged skin through these processes, reducing lines and wrinkles. (Housing Vitamin C within a Vitamin E liposomal membrane in our "C" Complexe With Oxyzomes targeted delivery system boosts its stability, photodamage defense and rejuvenating effects.)
Supports skin elasticity and firmness, helping prevent sagging.
Increases epidermal thickening, bolstering the skin’s protective layer, hydration levels and resilience against environmental aggressors, supporting healthy skin aging.
Promotes Collagen III production - the form of Collagen responsible for skin development and maintenance.
3. Glow Getter
Some of the best benefits of Vitamin C for your face is its ability to promote an even skin tone, enhance radiance, and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots. It accomplishes this by inhibiting the enzyme (tyrosinase) responsible for melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its color.
4. Sun Protection
Vitamin C can enhance the skin's defense against UV damage, helping reduce wrinkling, skin cancer, and other effects of chronic sun exposure. Research also indicates that vitamin C can help reduce the risk of sunburn. While it should not replace sunscreen, it makes a fabulous complement!
5. Wound Repair
Through its Collagen-boosting reparative properties outlined above, Vitamin C helps facilitate wound repair, with numerous studies demonstrating faster healing times owed to Vitamin C intake. The next time you get a cut, double up on Vitamin C-rich foods to aid tissue repair and regeneration while minimizing the appearance of scars.
6. Hydration + Moisture Retention
With its ability to improve skin barrier function, Vitamin C helps maintain optimal levels of hydration in the skin. It may help prevent dryness by reducing the evaporation of water from the skin, known as transepidermal water loss. Combining Vitamin C with moisturizing ingredients enhances these benefits. Enjoy the illuminating benefits of Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid serum formulas daily to experience cumulatively dewy, glowing results. Amplify your skin’s moisture content by choosing foods high in Vitamin C, which support electrolyte balance, for better overall health.
7. Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
Consumption of Vitamin C has been shown to regulate the inflammatory response, reducing inflammation markers and production of pro-inflammatory substances and improving inflammation throughout the body. Topical application of Vitamin C helps reduce oil production, benefiting those with oily skin and blemishes. Its pigment-inhibiting effects also help prevent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation post-breakout. Some studies report that Vitamin C can also calm the skin, reducing redness, a chief symptom of rosacea.
8. Immune System Support
While the orange juice marketing machine from decades ago went a little overboard on its claims, here’s how Vitamin C helps immunity:
Promotes differentiation of cells that target viruses and bacteria and make antibodies, demonstrating how Vitamin C helps the immune system.
Stimulates a type of white blood cells (neutrophils) that migrate to infection sites, engulfing and destroying bacteria and viruses
Protects cells and healthy tissues from oxidative damage.
Fine-tunes gene expression, helping cells become what they were intended to be.
Helps B cells differentiate into antibody-producing cells that fight bacteria and viruses.
Protects immune system cells from reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during an immune response.
Helps maintain skin barrier integrity, shielding against pathogens.
Decreases the risk of infections.
Protects against free radical damage and harmful UV rays.
As Vitamin C positively impacts the immune system, it indirectly improves skin wellness. When our overall health is good, it manifests in a healthier, more vital-looking complexion.
9: Texture Enhancer
Vitamin C exerts a mild exfoliating effect on the skin, sloughing away dulling dead skin cells and smoothing rough, uneven skin texture. This also encourages cell turnover, revealing fresher, more vibrant skin.
10: Undereye Circle Reducer
By stimulating collagen production and fortifying skin thickness, our “C” Évolutive Eye Gel helps dark circles appear less noticeable. It can also help reduce pigmentation around the eyes, relieving eyes of a tired, shadowed appearance. Some other benefits of Vitamin C include iron absorption and mood. It may also reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
Get Your Vitamin C
With all the protective, rejuvenating benefits of Vitamin C for both skin and body, this multi-tasking vitamin is a skincare and dietary must-have! To reap the benefits of Vitamin C skincare, you can apply products with this antioxidant any time of day. But at minimum, use our "C” Complexe with Oxyzomes, a Vitamin C serum suitable for all skin types, and our Hydrating Sunscreen SPF 40 for sun protection in the morning to fend off environmental damage.
In addition, we have Vitamin C-infused moisturizers for every skin type and concern:
Dry Skin - Rejuvenating Dry Skin Cream
Dynamic Wrinkles (from expressions) - Myoxy-Caviar® Timeless Repair Cream
Moisturizer For Men + Aging Concerns - Collagen Boost Face Balm
Advanced Signs of Aging - Stem Cells Phyto-Elite® Intensive Cream
Breakout-Prone - SpaTeen® Blemished Skin Moisturizer
Sun Damage - Micro-Retinol® Essential Moisturizer
Can’t get enough Vitamin C? Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and herbs, including kiwis, bell peppers, berries, broccoli and cilantro to nourish your skin and body from within. And use the entire Micro-Retinol® Collection in the evening to repair and revitalize while you slumber!
With all the protective, rejuvenating benefits of Vitamin C for both skin and body, this multi-tasking vitamin is a skincare and dietary must-have! For your healthiest skin ever, visit Find A Spa for an oasis near you offering Pevonia for a professional Vitamin C treatment tailored to your unique needs and concerns.
