How to Find the Best Vitamin C Serum for Your Skincare Routine
When you feel a cold coming on, you’ve likely been advised to take some vitamin c. It’s long been known as nature’s powerhouse for immunity. But did you know it can do wonders for your skin as well?
Practice Happiness in The Woodlands, Texas explains why vitamin c is a great addition to your skincare routine and shares the best vitamin c serums.
Vitamin C and Skincare Routines
Adding vitamin c to your skincare routine is simple, but no, it’s not just rubbing an orange on your face. Many beauty and skincare businesses have added vitamin c serum products to their product offerings due to its efficacy. Skincare vitamin c serums should contain between 8 and 30 percent vitamin c (to be both effective and safe) that is diluted with water. Many will also include a number of other vitamins that have their own set of numerous skincare benefits.
The Indian Dermatology Online Journal explains the use of vitamin c for skin care further: “To summarize, Vit. C is a naturally occurring drug with multiple desirable effects. With an excellent safety profile, it finds increasing use in photoageing, hyperpigmentation, tissue inflammation and promotion of tissue healing. Ongoing research has been directed toward improving its delivery into the dermis for stimulating collagen production and scavenging free radicals. Vit. C thus holds promise as a mainstream drug in future dermatology practice.”
Vitamin C and Skin Issues
Part of the reason so many people are starting to add vitamin c to their skincare routines is because of the plethora of benefits it provides to the skin. Just a little bit of this serum packs a big punch when it comes to reinvigorating your skin.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, “A few clinical studies have demonstrated that vitamin C can improve wrinkles. One study showed that daily use of a vitamin C formulation for at least three months improved the appearance of fine and coarse wrinkles of the face and neck, as well as improved overall skin texture and appearance.”
Along with helping bring you a youthful glow by reducing wrinkles and fine lines, vitamin c serum has proven to help with:
- Hyperpigmentation
- Under-eye circles
- Sagging
- Wounds
Harvard went on to share some other surprising benefits of adding vitamin c serum to your routine:
“Vitamin C may also help protect the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays when used in combination with a broad-spectrum sunscreen. Clinical studies have shown that combining vitamin C with other topical ingredients, namely ferulic acid and vitamin E, can diminish redness and help protect the skin from long-term damage caused by harmful sun rays.”
What is the Best Vitamin C Serum
Because there are so many vitamin c serums on the market today, the million dollar question becomes “what is the best vitamin c serum?”. Well, the answer isn’t cut and dry. As with most products, what is the best vitamin c serum will depend on your skin, your skin issues, and what else you are using in your skincare routine.
As mentioned earlier, one thing to look at when choosing a vitamin c serum is the potency. Anything below eight percent will likely not be strong enough to elicit results. If you are looking for maximum results, you can go for a “professional grade” serum up to 30% vitamin c, but be sure to speak to your doctor first to ensure you use it properly.
If you are looking for a potent, effective vitamin c serum, the Practice Happiness (PH) Vitamin C Brightening Pads are a good place to start. These pads are known for shrinking pores and improving skin tone. The pad form also makes them very easy to use.
Experts state that another thing to look for when trying to find the best vitamin c serum is a formulation that has both vitamin c and vitamin e. Vitamin e helps stabilize the potency of vitamin c, making it more palatable for your skin, and vitamin c helps enhance the benefits of vitamin e.
Lastly, something that is highly overlooked when looking for the best vitamin c serum but is actually very important is how it’s packaged. That doesn’t mean it has to look the best on your shelf, however. Because light and heat exposure can affect the efficacy of a vitamin c serum, look for one that comes in a dark or opaque glass bottle.
How to Properly Use Vitamin C Serum
While vitamin c serum has been proven to be a very safe and effective skincare treatment, according to practitioners, there are some tips you should follow to avoid irritation and to achieve maximum results.
As with any skincare product, you should do a patch test first to ensure no negative reactions to the vitamin c serum.
Most vitamin c serums are recommended for use one to two times a day, and a little bit goes a long way. However, if you’re looking for a vitamin c serum with 20 to 30 percent vitamin c, speak to your doctor about frequency. Because of their strong potency, they may cause irritation if used too much.
Vitamin C Serum in the Woodlands, Texas
If you are in The Woodlands, Texas and want some help finding the best vitamin c serum for you, come check out Dr. Natalie Drake’s Practice Happiness Med Spa. Our practitioners are experts at all things skincare and will help you find the best vitamin c for your skin (as well as give you some tips for incorporating it into your routine!)