We’ve all seen someone walking down the street, their skin glowing, looking dewy, vibrant, and oh so healthy. Our friends with beautiful skin that looks like they’ve just stepped off a skincare photoshoot claim they don’t do anything—they simply wash their face with water. The audacity of that answer! And then there are those of us who follow a 10-step skincare routine and still experience breakouts regularly.
Today, we’ll be talking about our body’s largest organ, our skin, and the role Vitamin C plays in its health. Jump on board—this is a one-way train to healthy skin town.
Background:
As we mentioned, our skin is our largest organ. Some adults carry up to 8 pounds of it and roughly 22 square feet, or 2 square metres. That’s a lot of skin! Its appearance generally reflects the health and state of its underlying structures. It serves as a protective shield from our external environment, guarding us from mechanical and chemical threats, pathogens, UV radiation, and even dehydration. It’s the first thing we notice when we meet someone. Being exposed to more UV light, our skin is one of the first organs to show visible signs of ageing. So, how do we make a great first impression? Let’s find out!
Protection:
Vitamin C isn’t just a powerhouse against colds; it plays a crucial role in skin health too. It’s naturally abundant in two layers of the skin: the epidermis and dermis, acting as a potent antioxidant alongside uric acid and glutathione. Glutathione is a substance made from the amino acids glycine, cysteine, and glutamic acid. It is produced by the liver and is involved in many body processes, including tissue building and repair, immune system function, and chemical and protein generation. Unfortunately, as we age, both layers experience a decline in Vitamin C levels. Exposure to UV light and pollutants such as smoke, vehicle exhaust, road dust, industrial emissions, pollen, gas-fuelled yard equipment, and chemicals we use in our homes further diminishes Vitamin C content, especially in the epidermis, the outermost layer of our skin.
Luckily, our skin has a smart way of absorbing Vitamin C from the bloodstream, using specific transport proteins found in all skin layers, with keratinocytes (the major cell type found in the outermost layer of our skin) playing the biggest role as the epidermis has a limited blood supply.
Photoprotection:
We want to make one point clear: Vitamin C is not an alternative to wearing sunscreen. Be sure to slather that white, creamy goodness on thick if you’re heading outside! However, Vitamin C does help shield your skin from UV light damage. Rather than absorbing UV rays like traditional sunscreen, Vitamin C swoops in as an antioxidant, fighting off those damaging free radicals that UV exposure can create. When your skin is exposed to UV light, it actually increases its intake of Vitamin C by increasing transport proteins in keratinocytes. This boost helps ensure your skin has enough Vitamin C to counteract the damage it’s exposed to.
Studies have shown that Vitamin C doesn’t just sit idle—it actively reduces DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, and inflammation caused by UV rays in cultured skin cells. It even helps cells communicate better during UV exposure, which improves their chances of survival.
In animal studies, adding Vitamin C to the diet reduced the size and number of skin tumours caused by chronic UV exposure. However, in humans, oral Vitamin C alone hasn’t shown significant increases in skin UV protection levels, called Minimal Erythemal Dose (MED). But there’s a twist! When combined with Vitamin E, oral supplementation has proven more effective, boosting MED and reducing skin redness after UV exposure.
For those who prefer a more direct approach, topical Vitamin C application shows some promise. In recent animal studies, it has shown to delay skin ageing caused by UVB exposure in mice while also reducing sunburn cells, redness, and DNA damage in pig models. Combining Vitamin C with Vitamin E topically packs an even stronger dynamic duo against UV damage, enhancing the skin’s resistance to sun-induced immune suppression and cell damage.
While human studies on topical Vitamin C are limited, they do indicate reduced radicals in UV-exposed skin. Combining Vitamin C with Vitamin E topically has also shown UV protective effects in humans. So, whether you’re reaching for an oral supplement or considering a topical treatment, teaming up Vitamin C with Vitamin E could be your skin’s dynamic duo against the sun’s rays!
Wrinkles and Sun Damage:
As we now know, Vitamin C plays a crucial dual role in skin health: as an antioxidant combating oxidative damage from sun exposure and intrinsic ageing, and as a regulator of collagen synthesis. It supports collagen stability through hydroxylation, essential for skin structure. In cell culture models, Vitamin C supplementation enhances collagen mRNA stability, boosts collagen synthesis while reducing excessive elastin production, and promotes fibroblast proliferation and DNA repair. What does all this mean? It helps to formulate new skin cells, aid in repairing damaged DNA, and increase the amount of collagen in our bodies!
Human studies show that higher dietary Vitamin C intake correlates with improved skin appearance, specifically reduced wrinkles. Topical application of Vitamin C (3-10%) over 12 weeks has shown benefits such as decreased wrinkling, reduced protein fibre damage, improved skin texture, increased collagen production, and reversal of age-related dermal changes. So, it’s equally important to not only apply Vitamin C to your skin but to take it orally as well!
Dry Skin & Dark Spots:
Research suggests that higher dietary intake of Vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of dry skin. In cell culture models, Vitamin C has been shown to enhance the synthesis of barrier lipids, which are crucial for maintaining a healthy skin barrier with low water permeability. In human studies using topical Vitamin C, participants have reported benefits such as decreased skin roughness and an improvement in skin texture.
When it comes to dark spots, melanin is the pigment responsible for skin colour. Dark spots can appear for many reasons. They can be the after-effects of acne or brought on by hormonal conditions like melasma. By inhibiting melanin production, Vitamin C can help fade dark spots and hyperpigmentation. It may also help brighten your skin’s appearance. When certain areas of the skin create too much melanin, however, you can end up with hyperpigmentation—patches of discolouration that may show up after you pop a pimple or have a sunscreen-less day at the beach. Vitamin C is not a miracle solution for fading spots instantly, but it can assist in fading and preventing them by inhibiting the enzyme responsible for producing melanin.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, Vitamin C is your skin’s best friend. Working double duty as a powerful antioxidant, immune protector, and a key player in collagen production, it keeps your skin looking fresh and vibrant. Taking Vitamin C orally, especially with Vitamin E, can help shield your skin from UV damage. When you apply Vitamin C directly to your skin, it’s absorbed easily, helping to protect against UV damage and tackling signs of ageing such as wrinkles and fine lines. Not only is Vitamin C helpful for preventing the formation and reduction of dark spots, but it also aids in hydrating dry skin and helping wounds heal faster. So, jump on the Vitamin C train—your Ener-Life Ener-C is calling!