Finding the right skin care products is largely a matter of trial and error, both because everyone’s skin care needs can be different and because companies tend to make a lot of promises, promises you can’t always bank on.
Serums and solutions containing vitamin C are just one group of such products — where slick marketing can make it difficult to know just how effective of a product you’re getting.
To get straight to the point: the science of skin care products is rarely as exciting as the promises.
Most manufacturers won’t share the studies behind their products. The science just isn’t sexy.
Rarely are the ingredients found in these products unequivocally proven to do anything. Generally, a handful of studies, designed flimsily and conducted on a small number of subjects (usually not in humans), are shown as proof. But it’s hardly that.
When it comes to vitamin C and your skin, there are some things we do know — many of them promising — but some we are only beginning to understand.
What’s certain: Your skin needs vitamin C to look it’s best, but it can generally get this from the foods you eat.
What’s uncertain: Whether adding vitamin C to your diet or to your skincare routine actually makes your skin healthier or look better. Let’s look at the details:
You may know vitamin C as the stuff in citrus fruits or a good go-to when you feel the onset of a cold, but vitamin C is found in many foods and is crucial in many of your body’s functions.
Your body requires vitamin C to form things like muscle, collagen, cartilage and blood vessels. You know, important stuff should you value movement, that skin bag you walk around in and, well, life.
It’s a powerful antioxidant, which means it protects your body against damage by pollutants and the sun.
Your body does not make vitamin C, so you must get it through your diet or supplementation.
It’s found in dark green and cruciferous vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. You can also find it in high concentrations in citrus fruits, peppers, tomatoes, berries and potatoes.
As with most human tissues, the skin contains high levels of vitamin C. It arrives there through the bloodstream. When blood levels of vitamin C are low, as in the case of deficiency, skin levels are likely to be low as well.
Vitamin C is believed to perform several roles in your skin, including:
Various factors can reduce your skin’s vitamin C content, including aging, sun damage and exposure to pollutants like smoking.
There’s a chance you’re not getting enough vitamin C in your diet or you have other factors that make you predisposed to deficiency. People with certain types of cancer or digestive problems may be more prone to deficiency. Also, those with severe burns or injuries, thyroid conditions or smokers may have lower vitamin C levels.
It’s recommended men get 90 milligrams of the vitamin each day through diet or supplementation.
For men with poor diets, deficiency is not uncommon. The 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found seven percent of Americans are vitamin C deficient and even more lack sufficient levels of the vitamin.
Signs of vitamin C deficiency — known as scurvy in extreme cases — include:
Vitamin C plays many important roles in your skin’s health, including keeping it looking young.
A Vitamin C serum may assist in locking in hydration and reducing wrinkles through increased collagen.
However — and this is a big one — there is little evidence that topical or supplemental vitamin C will have any positive dermatologic effects on the skin of someone who has adequate vitamin C.
Could you be deficient in vitamin C? It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility. Many people are.
If you have reason to suspect you don’t have enough vitamin C, you could try supplementation and/or topical vitamin C to help bolster your skin’s health.
However, if you have signs of severe deficiency, you need to see a healthcare professional.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.