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General Sensitive Skin

Vitamin C and Skin Health

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Vitamin C keeps popping up when we talk about skincare, but just how vital is it to your daily skincare routine? From foods to serums to its overall benefits, let’s take a look at whether or not you should be incorporating Vitamin C into your everyday beauty routine.

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is one of the only vitamins that your body doesn’t produce or store on its own, yet it's an essential nutrient for numerous bodily functions1. Research shows that getting an adequate amount of Vitamin C can offer health benefits in a variety of areas, from helping with your body’s iron absorption, to reducing inflammation and promoting wound healing, to numerous skin benefits2 – some of which we will discuss in depth below.

Myth or Fact: Vitamin C should be applied topically, and not just taken orally

Fact. Vitamin C gets a lot of love when we’re talking about oral supplementation to help maintain overall health. After all, many Vitamin C food sources are easy to obtain, not to mention delicious: think oranges, strawberries, kiwi, and broccoli (…okay, maybe not the broccoli). The Dietitians of Canada working group recommend an intake of 90mg of Vitamin C per day, which can easily be achieved by eating a handful of the aforementioned fruit on a daily basis3. As such, it appears to be quite easy for most people to get their daily dose of Vitamin C

However, in order to reap the full range of Vitamin C’s skin-boosting effects, topical application, not just nutritional intake, is required. Regular topical application of this super vitamin can do wonders for your skin. Most notably, it helps keep skin firm, flexible, and healthy4. This leaves the skin looking plump and youthful, Vitamin C also provides antioxidants that help reduce the visible signs of aging such as hyperpigmentation and wrinkles – regardless of intrinsic or environmental factors5.

Why does Our Skin Need Vitamin C?

It’s no surprise that overexposure to harmful UV rays and other environmental pollutants contribute heavily to premature skin aging and wrinkles by damaging collagen and triggering oxidative stress in the skin6.  Unless you live in an underground cave (in which case we have a whole set of other problems), this affects you! Damaged skin can feel irreversible and even hopeless at times, but when applied topically, Vitamin C has shown to be extremely effective in aiding the body’s production of collagen. Plus, it acts as a powerful antioxidant to help revitalize aging, and photodamaged skin6.  

3 benefits of incorporating Vitamin C into your skincare routine

We could go on and on about the benefits of incorporating Vitamin C into your daily skincare routine, but to keep it short, here are our top three reasons why you should:

  1. It's a Wrinkle Fighter – With sun exposure, comes fine lines and wrinkles. Regular application of a Vitamin C infused serum works to reduce the appearance of those dreaded wrinkles, and improving your overall complexion7.
  2. It's a Multi-tasker – Daily use of a Vitamin C serum will definitely affect the skin’s overall appearance. With regular use, topical Vitamin C leaves a youthful glow, or radiance to the skin. As an antioxidant, Vitamin C works to strengthen your skin and repel the factors that could damage it – like UV rays from the sun.8 While it doesn't have a sun protection factor on its own, Vitamin C certainly makes a difference when used in tandem with a good sunscreen.
  3. It's Well Tolerated – Vitamin C is gentle enough for every day use, even on sensitive skin. For individuals with Rosacea, or other highly sensitive skin condition, it is best to seek out a topical solution with a safe, concentration of Vitamin C that has been optimized for Redness-prone skin.

Vitamin C in Riversol

Vitamin C was central to Dr. Rivers' formulation principals when he created the Riversol Anti-Aging Trio. He incorporated highly stable, phosphate-form of Vitamin C into his serum and moisturizer to reduce the visible signs of aging and sun damage9. He chose phosphate-form Vitamin C because while other forms break down with sun exposure over the course of a day, phosphate-form Vitamin C remains stable and and effective even after a day in the sun.

Each Riversol Trio Kit includes: 

  1. Cleanser - The gel and cream cleansers provide a deep clean to gently remove impurities in the skin and create a blank canvas for the Vitamin C serum.
  2. Treatment – Choose the anti-aging serum, or anti-redness serum depending on skin concerns and sensitivity. Each include Vitamin C, E, and Beta-Thujaplicin. They work to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and restore the skin’s natural radiance.
  3. Hydration - The moisturizers, with Vitamin C and E, can be tailored to each skin type, provide instant, deep rehydration for your skin to help replenish the skin’s moisture barrier and provide protection against the elements.

This simple, 3-step routine can be tailored to any skin type, or moisture content. For help choosing the optimal routine take our skin-type quiz, or give us a call at 1.866.774.8377. 

References

  1. Mayo Clinic. Nutrition and healthy eating. Is it possible to take too much Vitamin C? Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/vitamin-c/faq-20058030
  2. Zelman, Kathleen M. WebMD. The Benefits of Vitamin C. Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-benefits-of-vitamin-c
  3. Dieticians of Canada. Food Sources of Vitamin C. 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.dietitians.ca/your-health/nutrition-a-z/vitamins/food-sources-of-vitamin-c.aspx
  4. Farris, Patricia K. 2006 March 21. Topical Vitamin C: A Useful Agent for Treating Photoaging and other Dermatologic Conditions. Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1524-4725.2005.31725
  5. Villines, Z. 2017 July 29. Medical News Today. Free radicals: How do they affect the body? Retrieved from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318652.php  
  6. Goldfaden, Gary. May 2009. Life Extension Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2009/5/Revitalizing-Aging-Skin-with-Topical-Vitamin-C/Page-01?p=1
  7. Fitzpatrick, Richard E. 2008 September 24. Wiley Online Library. Double-Blind, Half-Face Study Comparing Topical Vitamin C and Vehicle for Rejuvenation of Photodamage. Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1524-4725.2002.01129.x
  8. The Journal of Clincal and Aesthetic Dermatology. 2017. Topical Vitamin C and the Skin: Mechanisms of Action and Clinical Applications. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5605218/
  9. Oregon State University. Vitamin C and Skin Health. Retrieved from: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/health-disease/skin-health/vitamin-C
  1. What is Vitamin C?
  2. Myth or Fact: Vitamin C should be applied topically, and not just taken orally
  3. What’s the damage?
  4. 3 benefits of incorporating Vitamin C into your skincare routine
  5. The ultimate Vitamin C skincare solution