The Benefits of Topical Vitamin C

Ultraviolet radiation, consisting of UVB and UVA rays, is a key component responsible for photoaging, sun damage, and skin cancer. UVB and UVA rays penetrate the skin, generating reactive oxygen molecules that damage collagen, elastin, and cause cell damage; producing lines, wrinkles, and skin laxity.

Vitamin C is naturally found in fruits, vegetables, and tea. It's biologically active form, L-ascorbic acid, is an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA). Vitamin C is a necessary cofactor for collagen synthesis, and vitamin C is the most plentiful antioxidant in the skin.

Vitamin C helps protect the body from reactive oxygen damage. It neutralizes reactive oxygen molecules that are destructive to the skin, and actively recycles Vitamin E, which serves to protect lipids and the cell membranes from these same oxidative insults.

Humans cannot synthesize vitamin C; they must consume it in their diet. In addition, absorption and subsequent delivery to the tissues is somewhat limited. Because control mechanisms limit the amount of ingested vitamin C available to the skin, applying vitamin C topically to the skin surface yields higher concentrations then what can be achieved with diet alone. These higher concentrations of vitamin C provide additional protection for the skin.

The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) help protect the skin from damage generated by ultraviolet light. The added levels of L-ascorbic acid achieved by topical application provide photoprotection to skin. This photoprotective effect makes topical vitamin C a very useful adjunct to sunscreens in reducing sun damage and subsequent photoaging. Vitamin C should not be viewed as a replacement for sunscreens, but instead works with sunscreens to provide better sun protection. And once vitamin C gets into the skin, it cannot be rubbed or washed off. This provides strong evidence that topical vitamin C should be an integral part of everyone's skin care program, especially during the sunny months (March – September). When used together, antioxidants and sunscreens provide the most complete photoprotection – preventing photoaging, preventing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and promoting good skin health.

Vitamin C is one of the most well studied vitamins in anti-aging and has been proven effective in multiple studies. When applied to sun damaged skin, vitamin C has been shown to improve sallowness, surface texture, fine wrinkling, tactile roughness, and skin laxity. In addition, vitamin C has been shown to result in increased collagen production, more uniform collagen distribution, and an increase in elastic fibers in the skin.

Naturally occurring vitamin C is not particularly stable, so product preparation is important. For a topical vitamin C formulation to work, it must first penetrate the skin, then remain stable, and be available in high enough concentrations to have a biologic effect. Research indicates that the gold standard is stable L-ascorbic acid at high concentration (more than 10%) and at low pH (< 3.5). In this formulation, topical vitamin C has proven to be an effective skin care treatment with anti-aging effects.