The Importance of Vitamin C
We’ve all heard of the skin condition known as “scurvy” from tales of sailors on the high seas, but did you know that their health condition was caused by a lack of Vitamin C? Nowadays, the potential to get scurvy isn’t as high, since dozens of foods found in your local grocery store contain high levels of Vitamin C. This crucial vitamin is necessary in our everyday diet, helping regulate the health of our bodies and especially our skin. Read on to learn more about how Vitamin C contributes to keeping your body healthy!
What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C can’t be produced by your body. Instead, it must be obtained from what you eat daily. It’s water-soluble, meaning it doesn’t stay in the body for long once consumed and must be replenished regularly. Ideally, there is a certain amount of Vitamin C one should consume each day. It’s considered an essential vitamin because it benefits multiple areas of the body, including wound healing, bone formation, and supporting the immune system.
Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. When free radicals, or compounds that harm your body, build up to high levels, it can cause several long-term illnesses. As an antioxidant, Vitamin C helps to balance the level of free radicals in your body to a stable amount.
What does Vitamin C do for your skin?
Vitamin C has the same effect on the skin as it does in the body. Instead of reducing damage to cells inside the body, skincare using Vitamin C can reduce damage to the outer layer, which is why it is often a key ingredient in skincare formulas Skin products that help to replenish Vitamin C can be a preventative measure against decline in skin layers due to aging, exposure to sunlight, and air pollution.
Vitamin C contributes to collagen production. Collagen is a common and essential protein in the body. It helps to hold together the body by supporting bone structure and skin elasticity. In fact, collagen is generally known as the key to looking young. When collagen decreases in the body, typically with age, it breaks down the elasticity in skin and as a result, sags and wrinkles begin to form. Changing your diet and adding more Vitamin C is a natural way to produce collagen in the skin.
How can you make sure you have enough Vitamin C?
Eat your full serving of fruits and vegetables daily. Adding raw fruits and veggies such as strawberries and mustard spinach to a meal, and even simple garnishes such as parsley and thyme, are an easy way to get Vitamin C in your diet.
Take your vitamins daily. Some supplements and multivitamins contain the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C as an addition to a healthy diet.
Use products such as Vitamin C serums and lotions. Not only is Vitamin C safe for most skin types, it also brightens, reduces redness/under-eye circles, and can prevent results of age such as skin sagging.
Worried about scurvy, or just interested in the many benefits of Vitamin C? Having a conversation with your dermatologist can ensure that your diet, supplements, and skincare routine are getting your skin the nutrients it needs.