If you’re someone who’s passionate about skin care, it’s likely that you’ve heard of vitamin C serums. Vitamin C is one of the best anti-aging products on the market, and many say that it’s the key to achieving and maintaining a smooth, even complexion. 

Even though vitamin C is present in most diets, it might not be reaching your skin. In order to change that, you can use serums and topical products - basically, these things are vitamin C liquid drops for your face, and they’re the perfect way to ensure that your skin receives direct benefits. 

Vitamin C Serum Benefits

There are a number of benefits that go along with using vitamin C serums on your skin. These benefits include (1):

It’s safe for all skin types. In fact, most people, unless you have extremely sensitive skin, can use vitamin C for a long period of time without any negative effects. It’s also safe to use with other skin products like alpha hydroxy acids, retinols, and SPFs.

It’s very hydrating. A 2017 study showed that most healthy skin and organs contain high concentrations of vitamin C, which means that vitamin C accumulates in the body due to good circulation. 

It’s a brightening agent. Using vitamin C on your face can help to fade pigmentation and smooth out the skin’s surface to reduce dullness, which gives many people a youthful glow. It might even inhibit melanin production, which is responsible for skin color, and this can help fade dark spots and general dullness. 

It can even out your skin tone. Due to its antioxidant properties, vitamin C is an anti-inflammatory agent. When used on your skin, it can reduce puffiness and allow your natural beauty to shine through. The anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin C may also help to neutralize free radicals, optimize the immune system, and reduce redness. All of these details together make for a smooth and even complexion. 

Vitamin C can also help to fade hyperpigmentation. Since it inhibits melanin production, it can reduce hyperpigmentation in areas of the skin where too much melanin is produced - especially where acne wounds have healed. 

It can also reduce the appearance of under-eye circles. Since it smooths out fine lines and plumps the skin through hydration, it can make under-eye circles a thing of the past. It can also help to minimize the dark hue that coincides with these circles. 

It also aids collagen production, which is a protein that naturally occurs in the body and depletes over time. If you have low levels of collagen, this could cause fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin C is a great collagen booster, which can reduce those effects. 

It can also prevent skin from sagging by promoting elasticity with collagen. This can bring about an overall tightening of the skin to combat the effects of natural aging, oxidative stress damage, and extreme weight loss. 

It also is a great protector against sun damage. If you’ve been exposed to oxidative stress through pollutants or UV irradiation, you may have depleted vitamin C levels in your skin. Free radicals cause sun damage, and since vitamin C is rich in antioxidants, they can fight free radicals and therefore fight sun damage. 

Vitamin C might even help to soothe sunburns. It accelerates cell turnover within the body, which replaces damaged cells with new ones. This process can decrease inflammation that goes hand-in-hand with excessive UV exposure (AKA sunburn), especially when paired with vitamin E and other compounds. 

In general, vitamin C is great for overall wound healing. Wounds that heal quickly reduce your chances of inflammation, infection, and scarring. 

Using Vitamin C Serum

In most cases, a topical vitamin C serum is well-tolerated - but there’s always a chance for skin products to cause side effects. In order to avoid widespread discomfort, test a small patch of your skin first -  like your forearm - and wait 24 hours to see if you experience any adverse effects. If none occur, you are good to go on using vitamin C on your face. But if you experience redness, hives, or rash, vitamin C serum is probably not the best option for you. 

If you decide to go ahead with a topical vitamin C supplement, it can be applied once or twice a day. A good routine to follow is: wash your face, apply a vitamin C serum, then moisturize afterwards. It is safe to use with other ingredients, though it should be noted that its efficacy may be reduced if used with niacinamide.

Resources

1. Doyle, Annie. "11 Reasons to Add Vitamin C Serum to Your Skin Care Routine." Healthline, 15 Nov. 2021, www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/vitamin-c-serum-benefits.