May Help Protect Against Sun Damage
First Off, What Is Vitamin C?
As far as your skin is concerned, vitamin C is “a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals,” explains board-certified dermatologist Patricia Wexler, M.D. “Because of its antioxidant properties, vitamin C aids in your skin’s natural regeneration process, which helps your body repair damaged skin cells.”. This free-radical-fighting power isn’t just important for helping to keep signs of premature aging at bay.
How Else Does Vitamin C Benefit The Skin?
Amazingly, vitamin C’s skin-saving benefits aren’t limited to its antioxidant status. It has plenty of other skin-healing properties that make it worthy of a permanent place in your medicine cabinet. For one, when vitamin C is used topically, because it’s highly acidic, “the skin is triggered to heal itself by accelerating the production of collagen and elastin,” explains New York City-based dermatologist Howard Sobel, M.D.
So, in helping to promote collagen production, topical vitamin C can help prevent premature aging of the skin.
1. Use Vitamin C Serums In The Morning.
There’s certainly no law against using vitamin C products in the evening, but you may get the most benefit from using them in the morning. “In general vitamin C products should be applied in the morning before heading out for the day, when UV radiation is at its highest,” Dr. Hogan says.
But vitamin C becomes less effective when exposed to light, so it’s important to give it time to absorb into your skin before going outside, SELF explained previously. You don’t need to wait a specific amount of time—as long as it’s absorbed, you’re good to go. The right moment to use your product depends on what kind of product it is, Dr. Hogan explains.
But antioxidant-containing moisturizers are also becoming more common, Dr. Lamb says, and you’d want to use those at the end of your routine. Use the right concentration vitamin C for your skin type and concerns. Different products may contain a wide variety of concentrations of vitamin C. In general, they range from below 5% all the way up to 30%, Dr. Hogan says, and this ingredient can have different effects at those concentrations.
Those with dry or sensitive skin probably want to stick with lower concentrations, around 5%, which are less likely to be irritating.