Turn back the clock with the power of vitamin C

If you need another reason to enjoy your orange juice at breakfast, consider how vitamin C helps heal and protect your skin.

This multi-tasking essential vitamin fights nearly every sign of aging, from fine lines and wrinkles to age spots and dryness. Scientists at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University report numerous dermatological benefits of vitamin C, especially for aging. You’ll see an improvement in skin tone, texture and brightness within just a few weeks of adding vitamin C to your diet and skincare routine.

The benefits of vitamin C

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is an essential nutrient for all human life, necessary for growth and healing throughout the body, including your skin. Its first super power is that it stimulates the synthesis of collagen, the structural protein that gives skin its youthful, glowing appearance. Although many products claim to provide collagen externally, vitamin C is proven to boost its production through natural means. More collagen leads to plumper skin, less visible lines and slower skin aging.

Vitamin C also has powerful antioxidant properties, which protect skin against the damage done by destructive free radicals. This includes photodamage from ultraviolet radiation, the cause of nearly every visible sign of aging. Vitamin C has been proven to diminish hyperpigmentation and actively prevent the formation of wrinkles. Studies also show that it speeds wound healing, softens skin and fights the effects of air pollution. Without a doubt, vitamin C is one of the most useful ingredients in an anti-aging skincare regimen.

How to use vitamin C

You can get many of the benefits of vitamin C the old-fashioned way, by eating foods that contain it. Foods high in vitamin C include oranges, berries, kiwis, bell peppers and tomatoes. This is a tasty, healthy way to bring the power of vitamin C to your whole body, and many studies show a positive effect of dietary ascorbic acid alone on skin tone and healing.

If you’re looking for fast results, though, a topical vitamin C serum or cream is a better choice. The ingredients are applied directly to the cells they are protecting, giving faster and more intense results. Since vitamin C can lose potency when exposed to light, use a product that comes in a dark or opaque container. Follow the directions on the label, but apply the vitamin C directly onto your skin before any moisturizer, so it can be better absorbed.

Vitamin C counteracts photodamage, but it does not block UV rays, so you should still wear a full-spectrum sunscreen.

What to expect

Adding more vitamin C to your diet can have a very quick impact on your overall health, including your skin’s appearance. If you’re also using a high-quality vitamin C serum, you should start to see results in skin tone, moisture and softness within a couple of weeks. Age spots will be visibly lighter and wrinkles less evident after six weeks.

Since it’s not a spot treatment, you don’t risk the dreaded “halo effect” caused by some skin lighteners. Instead, your skin naturally exfoliates while the vitamin C prevents further injury to the skin cells, so your skin tone evens out. Over time, you will see fewer lines and wrinkles forming, less sun damage and a smoother, softer skin texture.

While it can’t stop the aging process entirely, vitamin C can definitely slow it down, limiting the harm that daily life does to your skin. Start by eating more fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C, and consider adding a vitamin C serum or cream to your skincare routine for faster results. Firmer, brighter, more youthful skin is just a few weeks away, thanks to this all-natural, astonishing ingredient.