By Kait Matthes, PA-C
In our office, one of our best selling products is the Skin Medica TNS Essential Serum – and for good reason! I’ve written a blog about that product specifically previously, so today I want to talk about one of the components of the Essential Serum that I love the most – vitamin C. It is also a component of the TNS Recovery Complex as well as the Obagi Pro-C Eye Brightening Serum that I love.
Vitamin C is most definitely for me (and you, too) because first and foremost, it supports our skin in its ability to protect itself from UV rays that are emitted from the sun. UV rays cause premature aging and are those that cause skin cancer. Combining vitamin C with a sunscreen daily (SPF 30+) is one of the best things you can do to help protect your skin from the sun!
Vitamin C makes vitamin E work better – it’s a synergistic relationship in which vitamin C makes vitamin E more stable. Vitamin E is an antioxidant which helps protect our skin from sun, smoke and pollution – three of the most common causes of skin damage. There are studies that have shown that it can help increase cell turnover in the skin and even enhance the skin’s ability to stay hydrated. This is why it is important to apply some sort of Vitamin C-containing product every morning.
By the time we are 50 years old, we have lost 50% of our collagen. As we lose this collagen, signs of aging become more apparent, especially fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin C is important in helping to support the production of collagen, which results in firmer, less wrinkled skin!
Vitamin C can help soothe irritated skin. We commonly use the Skin Medica Recovery Complex after our laser procedures to help calm the skin and it is a great product to use on a daily basis. It also has an amazing ability to help brighten the complexion of the skin – giving a younger, more radiant appearance!
It is important to use a vitamin C that is in a container that is protected from outside factors that can cause degradation, specifically air, heat and light as well as one that is stable at a lower pH so that it will last longer in your bathroom cupboard. Feel free to stop by so we can show you our favorite vitamin C-containing products and help select the one that is best for you!
