Vitamin C – 8 Reasons Why I Love It! | Dr Sam Bunting

– Welcome back to the Morning Show. Now it would be impossible to talk aboutmorning skin care routinesand not mention Vitamin C. And I think Vitamin C isone of those ingredientsthat I receive probablythe most questions on,after retinoids. There’s a lot of interestaround Vitamin C. And I think that’s becausetraditionally the ascorbic acid form,which is the most studied,is found really in themain in the pricier endof the skin care spectrumbecause of some difficultieswith formulating it the way it was stable,that was protected fromultraviolet light becauseit oxidizes very easily. And that has led to interestin the Vitamin C astro space. Things like magnesium, ascorbyl phosphate,ascorbyl glucoside, andwith the advent of brandslike the ordinary, makingthe esters more availableand creating consumerinterest accordingly. Now, I’ve given you the eightreasons why I love Vitamin C,so while they’re fewerthan the other ingredientsthat I’ve looked at in previous weeks so,in the end I think that,there’re a couple of key benefitsthat we get with Vitamin Cbut in terms of the wayit affects skin cells,there are probably fewermechanisms of actionthan say something like azelaic acid. So just because it’seight reasons doesn’t meanthey’re any less important,than the ten reasons I mentionedfor the other ingredients. So, without further ado let’s get into it. So, the best place tostart with why Vitamin Cis potentially beneficial in our skincare,is to think of its role as an antioxidant. Now, our skin has inbuiltantioxidants systems anywaywhich are designed toneutralize free radicals thatare generated by thingslike UVA, pollution,cigarette smoking and so forth. However, they may notbe as optimum in levelsas we would like our skin tobe because the body prioritizesother organs, not necessarily just skin. So, we can boost our own natural systemsby applying Vitamin C topically. And by donating electrons,antioxidants help calm downthese excitable free radicalsand stop them from damagingimportant structures like cell membranes. So it’s protective againstpremature aging in the long run. Reason number two is not onlyis it protective against thataging UVA dermis activity,it’s also helpful inreducing the risk of the sunburnwhen combined with your sunscreen,so you actually require more UVB raysto make the skin red inthe presence of Vitamin C. Now whilst we shouldn’t be runningaround waiting for the skinto go red, it means thatit’s actually an additionallayer of protection to help protect youagainst those harmful rays. Reason number three is that it helps usmaintain our collagenlevels in the here and now,it’s not just aboutpreventing harm in the future. It works by two mechanisms,firstly, it increasesthe actual production,the synthesis of new collagen molecules,and secondly it assists and encouragesthe assembly correctly of collagen fibers. So that means it improves the appearanceof fine lines and wrinkles. Number four is its beneficialeffect on pigmentation,so we know that Vitamin C will indirectlyreduce pigmentation becauseof its activity with regardsto free radicals which candrive the pigmentation pathway,but it also has a direct effecton that rate limiting enzymetyrosinase which we’vementioning over and over again,which tends to mean thatlower levels of melaninare produced leading tomore even bright skin. The next reason it’s helpfulis its anti-inflammatory effect. Now that means it can helpdown-regulate the productionof pro-inflammatory cytokine,so this is not only helpfulin aging, we have thisterm, “inflamaging”,where inflammation, callit low level inflammation,is thought to drive the agingprocess, but it may alsobe helpful in conditionslike rosacea and in acne. Particularly in the post inflammatoryhyperpigmentation phase of acne,while trying to reduce the pigmentationas a consequence of thoseinflammatory lesions. Now while I don’t use VitaminC when acne is active,I do think it’s reallyhelpful in what I call”the tidy up” phase, oncethe acne is well controlled,and you’re targeting askin tone improvement. The next reason I like itis because it tends to bean easy to apply serum format whichdoesn’t take loads of time toabsorb or dry into the skin. And I think that’s so important,if we’re going to build aregular consistent routine. Is it quick to apply? Yes. Does it layer well with other things? Yes. Does it wreck my makeup? No. If it fulfills those three criteria,and it has benefits we’remuch more likely to use it. Reason number seven is thatit’s generally well-tolerated. For those who find theascorbic acid format to bea little bit sensitizing, because the PHtends to be quite low, it needs to be 3. 5,or lower in order for it toget across the skin’s barrier,then I would suggestseeking out a gentle esterwhich would be less irritatingbecause it won’t need to beformulated at that low PH. But on the whole, mostpeople find Vitamin Ca fairly easy active to introduce. Final reason is it’sversatile in its usefulnessin both pregnancy and lactation,so both instances whereyou might feel the needfor a bit of a boost,a bit of glow, a bit ofhelp with hyperpigmentation,because it can be a consequenceof the hormonal state of pregnancy,so the good news is wecan add this radianceenhancer in both these situations. So those are my eightreasons for thinking aboutadding Vitamin C into yourmorning skincare routine. And that brings theingredient’s focus part ofthe Morning Show to an end. Now I hope I have givenyou lots to think about,in terms of how you might go aboutcustomizing a skin careroutine for the morningthat best suits your needsin terms of your skin type,in terms of what problemsyou’re trying to solve,and in terms of what commitmentyou are prepared to maketo the morning in terms of time. So we’ll bring it all together next weekin a “how to use” video. But I’m really glad you guysare enjoying this series. It’s been a real pleasure to make. And see you again, next week. Bye for now.