subject: Does Vitamin C Serum Really Work for Wrinkles? [print this page] Does Vitamin C Serum Really Work for Wrinkles?
There is no dearth of ointments and creams one can put on their face in an effort to reduce wrinkles. They're all over the place! But one of the most ideal is vitamin C serum, a natural product that has numerous years of research behind it. It can be used as an eye serum to get rid of lines and wrinkles close to the eye, but can also be administered to all areas of the neck and face.
Every dermatologist on the face of the globe understands that topical vitamin C is not just a helpful eye serum, it also works effectively in improving the appearance of the skin by minimizing lines and wrinkles all over the face and neck. And it turns out that published studies obviously show why.
As I have formerly penned, topical vitamin C is necessary for the suitable performance of enzymes that create collagen not just in the facial skin, but in each cell in the entire body (your system is about 60% collagen, while the facial skin consists of 75% collagen). The importance of this topical vitamin C/collagen association cannot be overstated.
For example, when a person is severely lacking in dietary C, they'll develop scurvy, which is essentially the lack of ability to make collagen. When collagen manufacturing ceases, and its breakdown raises via elevated MMP enzymes, your teeth will slide out, skin will break down and your organs and essential tissues will virtually commence to fall apart right up until you kick the bucket (which doesn't take long when full-blown scurvy kicks in).
Simply because of this important link between collagen development (which slows significantly with aging, including in your skin) and vitamin C, researchers believed it may possibly be a beneficial thought to see if applying it topically as an eye serum may have significant benefit. And this was specifically so given the recognized simple fact that vitamin C levels decline in skin as one ages.
In my opinion, one of the most interesting research studies yet on topical vitamin C serum was published in 2001. In this study, researchers applied topical vitamin C to the facial skin of individual participants and got measurements of the results in the dermis (the 3rd layer in the skin). Interestingly, they found that protein levels for collagen type I and III increased (which means vitamin C utilized topically to an individual's facial skin activated the genes that program for collagen production). But more remarkable, to me at least, was the fact that vitamin C caused an increase in levels of a compound known as tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1).
By way of this mechanism, topical vitamin C serum will prohibit collagen degradation brought on by MMP-1 (yes, this is the exact same MMP-1 that I have published about extensively in my book). In essence, this research shows that not only will topical vitamin C raise collagen creation in human skin, but it will also help prevent its breakdown by way of the ubiquitous collagen-destroying enzyme, MMP-1. Any more questions about whether or not you really should be utilizing a topical vitamin C serum?
I advocate making use of vitamin C serum once per day, either in the early morning or before bed. Use one that is in the range of 10-20% vitamin C, because decreased strengths will be ineffective. And remember . . . if the product you're making use of appears discolored, i.e., dark, it is displaying obvious indicators of oxidation (not a very good thing!). Oxidized vitamin C is worthless for your skin (or any other use)! My advice is to steer clear of glass or plastic bottles and go with pumps, as these will stop oxygen from damaging the vitamin C serum and make the contents viable for anti-wrinkle purposes, such as acting like a really effective eye serum to aid one to eradicate crow's feet.
