Vitamin C is very important nutrient that our body needs. Our body is not able to produce Vitamin C by itself, so it is very much needed that we eat lots of healthy fruits and vegetables that contain Vitamin C. The high concentration of Vitamin C is mostly derived from plants. It is useful in treating colds, but most importantly it also help in preventing and reversing skin ageing. There are lots of studies on Vitamin C’s effect on the skin conducted for last few decades. Ascorbic acid is the purest form of Vitamin C and has been biologically tested to be very useful for human skin care.

Vitamin C works with skin mainly in two ways:

* It works as a very good antioxidant. One main culprit towards the aging of the skin is ultraviolet radiation. This radiation generates oxygen free radicals and that causes aging of the skin. Vitamin C acts as a first defense, against some of these radicals. Vitamin E also works against another type of radical that is the fat-soluble radicals within the plasma membranes. So it is obvious that Vitamin C and E are used together to defend against both types of radicals.

* Vitamin C is necessary for the synthesis of collagen. Collagen is an important structural component of blood vessels, ligaments, tendons, and bone. Vitamin C also plays very important role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter and norepinephrine.

Vitamin C, if applied in its purest form may help to decrease the fine lines and sagging of the skin. There are plenty of fruits and vegetables available which contain high concentration of Vitamin C such as all citrus fruits, like oranges, cantaloupe strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, kiwi fruit, and sweet red peppers. This is a general thinking that if we eat plenty of these fruits and vegetables; it will improve your skin complexion. But unfortunately it is not that simple. The fact is that there is no significant increase in the level of vitamin C needed for your skin even if you eat bunches of oranges. Even there are plenty of creams and lotions which contain Vitamin C. However, keeping the Vitamin C stable enough in the lotion for it to be beneficial and also to be able to penetrate the skin at the same time are very difficult. It is difficult to achieve because of the nature of its composition. A low pH and high concentration of Vitamin C is required to penetrate the skin, and there are very few products that can meet these two essential elements in perfect ratio. Also the major problem with the vitamin C contents skin care products has difficulties because of its stability on the skin. Problem is when it is exposed to air; the vitamin C solution undergoes oxidation process. This oxidized vitamin C is ineffective and potentially harmful to the skin as it increases the formation of free radicals. There are few skin care companies which offer more stabilized vitamin C products, which oxidize less rapidly compared to others. However, these products are usually very expensive.

Several studies and experiments have been done to understand the effect of Vitamin C on animals and humans. Studies on animals have shown that Vitamin C protects against UVA and UVB damage like the redness of skin, and formation of abnormal cells and immuno-suppression. And in human studies, it shows that Vitamin C has resulted in the improvement of collagen production.

Hence, if we compare all the studies performed on animals and in humans, Vitamin C has shown positive results in UVA/UVB protection, decreasing pigmentation and increase collagen production which are very important factors in reducing the aging of your skin.

Well, skin problems do not resolve from a single solution. You need to take care of your skin like any other vital organs. Hence, start with protecting your skin, taking a very special care of it, and most importantly use the best combination of the skin care products for your skin type.

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