Vitamin C: what are the benefits of this natural compound on the skin

It is one of the essentials of any facial care routine. Despite some reluctance, new positive points for its application are described daily. How and when to use it

It is one of the star ingredients of cosmetics. An ally of skin care, thanks to the benefits it provides. However, despite its known benefits, vitamin C is also one of the compounds that generates the most doubts when using it.

Among its most common myths, it is often heard that vitamin C can only be used at night, or that it irritates the skin

Many of the myths around it create reluctance to include it in the beauty routine, but most are based on the lack of reliable information. Here are its main benefits and the answers to the most frequent questions.

Vitamin C is one of the main ingredients to slow down aging. It is an antioxidant and protects against free radicals and cell oxidation. In this sense, it also intervenes in the synthesis of collagen and elastin, natural compounds of the skin that are lost with age. It is because of this property that it improves the appearance of wrinkles.

To this must be added that it protects against sun damage, improves the skin’s protective barrier, evens out tone and reduces spots, provides luminosity, reduces inflammation and protects from pollution.

“Vitamin C is a substance that the entire body, and not just the skin, uses for many vital functions, hence its consumption is of vital importance.” The dermatologist doctor Lucas Ponti began to explain to Infobae and pointed out that “the human being is one of the few animals that cannot produce it by themselves, so yes or yes, they have to receive it from the outside and the diet is the main way of incorporate this nutrient in a balanced way”.

In the case of the skin, “beyond incorporating it orally through food, it is necessary to do so in the form of cosmetic products,” said the specialist from the Argentine Society of Dermatology (SAD), who emphasized that “vitamin C It is one of the most powerful antioxidants that prevents premature aging of the skin as well as of many organs, maintaining the vital functions of the skin”.

“Vitamin C should be present in all facial care routines,” experts say

The truth is that it is a great antioxidant and an ally of the skin, famous for bringing “calm” to the face with its use, and it is one of the key principles for having protected, illuminated and young skin.

Among its most common myths, it is often heard that vitamin C can only be used at night, or that it irritates the skin.

In the opinion of experts, nothing is further from reality.

“Not only can we use it for the day, but it is the key time to do it. A routine rich in vitamin C will be applied morning and night, but if it is done only once, it is always preferable that it be in the morning, ”dermatologist Lilian Demarchi explained to this medium.

In Ponti’s opinion, “when used at night it is a natural lightener and it is a stimulator of collagen synthesis; and when used during the day, it combats the production of free radicals caused by damage from ultraviolet radiation and environmental pollution.” “Vitamin C should be present in all facial care routines, especially in skin that is more exposed to the sun or urban pollution,” she assured.

About the risk of irritation, it seems, is another of the most common myths surrounding the use of this product and it lies in what happens when it oxidizes, but if this happens, it is because it is not a stable formula. Firms currently work with self-stable forms of vitamin C that can be open for months without oxidizing.

In this sense, it is often stated that vitamin C is contraindicated in people with rosacea. “It is a half myth because if the product is in high concentrations it can irritate the skin, but since it stimulates the synthesis of collagen, which is found in the capillaries that are altered by rosacea, vitamin C actually reinforces those little veins improving the ability not to blush,” explained Demarchi.

Likewise, it is often said that vitamin C cannot be used with retinol, and that it should not be applied with Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs).

In this regard, Estefanía Nieto, technical director of Omorovicza, pointed out that “as long as you work with stable forms of vitamin C and A (retinol), there should be no problems. Only in the beginning were they not combinable, because vitamin C in its pure form could do an exfoliation. As retinol also performs a similar function, there was talk that it could over-exfoliate the tissue. This no longer happens and in fact one of the best combos is vitamin C with retinol. Together, they work in synergy to renew the skin, improve pigmentation, synthesize collagen and elastin, reduce pores, etc.”

Regarding its combination with AHAs and BHAs, Demarchi stressed that “whoever affirms this is referring to the fact that vitamin C exfoliates, but the current stable forms do not exfoliate. There is no problem in combining it with alpha or beta hydroxy acids. In fact, vitamin C may support them by helping to improve hydration, collagen synthesis, hyperpigmentation, etc.”

Finally, regarding the ability of this compound to stain the skin, the dermatologist explained: “When working with very unstable vitamins C (pure ascorbic acid), they could cause skin sensitivity and, when exposing the skin to the sun, cause hyperpigmentation . But this is not the case with the stable forms of vitamin C that are commonly used.”

And she concluded with the quintessential advice that, in her opinion, is key to skin care: “It is always the sun that stains, not the products, that is why it is so important to apply sunscreen daily even if we do not leave the house” .

Thus, vitamin C is considered one of the most powerful antioxidant agents in the body. It is an essential vitamin that must be supplied to the body and whose dermatological properties are multiple.