5 Ways Vitamin C Helps Your Skin Look Younger (Plus The 13 Warning Signs You’re Deficient)

When you think of vitamin C, you likely think of keeping away the common cold. Or boosting immunity. Or maybe you even think of pirates sucking on limes to keep the scurvy away.

But do you think of smooth, supple, and beautiful skin?

No? Well, it’s time to start!

While vitamin C is great for immunity, it offers various other health benefits, one of which has to do with keeping your skin healthy. In fact, one of the biggest signs of scurvy in vitamin C-deficient pirates was that their skin would waste away. Literally! Old wounds would re-open, their teeth would fall out because their gums began to recede, and they would get spots all over the skin.

The reasons that all of this would happen, well, that’s the topic of today’s blog – how vitamin C can help your skin stay healthy.

Tests have shown that people with healthier skin also have high concentrations of vitamin C in their skin. So, what’s the connection?

Keep reading to learn 5 ways vitamin C supports your skin health!

#1 – It protects against sun damage

One of the largest factors when it comes to skin aging has to do with the harmful UV rays from the sun.

When these rays hit your skin, they begin to destabilize the molecules of your skin, creating what are called free radicals.

These free radicals travel throughout your skin (and your body), causing even more unstable molecules and damaging your cells. This is called oxidative stress. Our only way to fight free radicals and to help heal from oxidative stress is to get enough antioxidants.

Thankfully, vitamin C is one of the most effective and versatile antioxidants out there. Since high levels of vitamin C exist in the skin (if your body has enough of the vitamin), then you should have optimal protection. But having enough vitamin C isn’t enough. According to research, vitamin C offers far stronger UV protection when taken with vitamin E. [1]

Thankfully, Purality Health’s Micelle Liposomal Vitamin C includes vitamin E, offering you better protection – click here to learn more.

And if you’re in the sun a lot, another reason you’ll want to ensure you have enough vitamin C is because these harmful sun rays also reduce vitamin C levels in the skin, making it important to replenish and maintain levels.

UV rays also break down collagen within your skin, and vitamin C plays a major role here as well, bringing us to our next point…

#2 – It boosts collagen production

Collagen is a type of protein. In fact, it’s the most prevalent type of protein in your body. It’s a structural protein that holds together your bones, ligaments, joints, and, of course, your skin.

When it comes to the health of your skin, collagen is one of the most important things. The reason why babies have soft and elastic skin? Because we’re born with ample collagen and a strong ability to produce more. But as we age, our collagen levels drop, and so does our ability to make new collagen. Researchers believe that we lose 1% of collagen per year after the age of 25.

It’s not just age that causes us to lose collagen, though. As mentioned, UV rays can do this as well, but so can sugar, unhealthy foods, alcohol, cigarette smoke (including secondhand), and air pollution.

When your body loses collagen, your skin weakens on a fundamental level. It loses its elasticity, begins to sag and wrinkle, dries out easily, and is prone to blemishes.

But not only does vitamin C protect your collagen from factors that break it down, but it actually boosts collagen production, allowing you to have more of this structural protein in your skin. [1]

#3 – It helps heal wounds

Has anyone ever mentioned to you that they got a cut or scrape, and then within a week, it had already healed? Chances are it’s because they had high levels of vitamin C in their skin.

Vitamin C is included in the treatment for ulcers, burns, and other skin injuries because it’s been shown to be crucial in the healing of the skin. Not only that, when healing, your body uses up vitamin C fast, with studies showing that vitamin C levels decrease rapidly at wound sites. So it’s important to replace it! [1]

Research has also shown a direct link between slow wound healing time and low vitamin C levels. Following that, vitamin C supplementation in those with low levels has shown significant benefits in wound healing time and effectiveness. Researchers believe that vitamin C’s critical role in collagen production, as well as its anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects, is what makes it so important for healing the skin. [1]

If you want to be able to recover from injury faster with a lower risk of leaving a scar, make sure your vitamin C levels are healthy!

#4 – Keeps your skin hydrated

Trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) is an indicator that researchers use to measure hydration levels of the skin. This typically increases as we age and it is a key reason why older adults tend to have skin that dries out easily. But research suggests that vitamin C helps keep water loss low and your skin hydrated.

Studies have revealed that higher intakes of vitamin C are linked to a decreased risk of dry skin. [1]

It’s been shown that the addition of vitamin C promotes the production of certain lipids in the skin that essentially help seal moisture in your skin. [1]

#5 – Reduces wrinkles

After understanding that vitamin C boosts collagen production, increases skin hydration, and protects the cells of your skin, it makes sense that it would help it look better too.

And it does!

Oxidative stress – the damage caused by free radicals – actually changes the skin structure, which leads to saggy, dried, and wrinkly skin. This is in large part due to the attack on collagen. But, as we learned above, vitamin C protects collagen and boosts production.

But vitamin C also boosts the production of other structural cells within the skin, such as fibroblasts and elastin. Without vitamin C to offer these critical cells, the foundation of the skin can slowly break apart, resulting in wrinkles. [1]

Multiple studies in humans have found that high vitamin C intake is associated with better skin appearance and notable decreases in wrinkles. These studies have found that vitamin C decreased wrinkling, reduced protein fiber damage, decreased skin roughness, and increased collagen production. [1]

Amazingly, vitamin C was also found to reverse age-related structural changes in the skin layers, which is likely why people notice fine lines fading after taking proper levels of vitamin C. [1]

If you want to reduce wrinkles, protect your skin, and – best of all – REVERSE wrinkles, then taking a quality vitamin C every day is exactly what you need!

And if you’re not getting enough vitamin C in your diet, it’s going to show in other ways than you’re skin.

Reading today’s blog may have you wondering if YOU need more vitamin C. While reports show that the recommended daily intake (RDI) for vitamin C is actually shockingly low and that more people are likely lower than they should be in this nutrient, there are still some signs you can look out for.

Keep reading to learn how to tell if you’re low in vitamin C.

Because many people who are 50+ wrongly assume that these symptoms are just a part of aging…

13 warning signs of low vitamin C

Rough, bumpy skin – Vitamin C is vital in the production of collagen, a protein responsible for the connective tissue of your skin, joints, hair, bones, and blood vessels. When levels are low, a condition known as keratosis can develop. With this condition, bumpy skin forms on the upper arms, thighs, or buttocks due to a buildup of keratin in the pores and insufficient collagen to balance it out. [2, 3, 4]

Corkscrew-shaped body hair – Because collagen protein structures are disrupted, a vitamin C deficiency may cause your hair to grow in a deformed, corkscrew shape. This is one of the hallmark signs of vitamin C deficiency. However, these hairs may often fall out before you can fully notice the issue. [5, 6]

Bright red hair follicles – When your vitamin C levels are low, the blood vessels that surround hair follicles become fragile and break, creating a redness around the follicles. This is a well-documented sign of severe vitamin C deficiency. [7, 8]

Spoon-shaped fingernails with red spots or lines – Nails that are concave-shaped, thin, and brittle can signify low levels of vitamin C deficiency. This may also be due to low iron on behalf of the low vitamin C intake. [9, 10]

Dry, damaged skin – Healthy skin has been found to contain large amounts of vitamin C. Vitamin C in the skin protects it from oxidative damage from UV rays and pollutants. It also increases collagen production. Higher levels of the vitamin are linked to healthier skin, while lower levels are associated with unhappy skin. [11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]

Easy bruising – Bruising is what happens when blood vessels rupture, causing blood to leak into the surrounding areas. Easy bruising is a common sign of low vitamin C levels due to the drop in collagen. This is often one of the earliest symptoms of low vitamin C. [18]

Slowly healing wounds – Since vitamin C deficiency decreases collagen levels, it causes wounds to heal at a slower rate. In severe cases of vitamin C deficiency, wounds may even reopen. [19]

Painful, swollen joints – Collagen strikes again. Due to the loss of collagen from low vitamin C, the tissue within the joints can easily degrade and cause joint pain, limping, or difficulty walking. [20, 21, 22, 23]

Weak bones – Low vitamin C levels are linked to an increased risk of fracture and osteoporosis. This is because vitamin C plays a critical role in bone formation. [24, 25, 26, 27]

Bleeding gums and tooth loss – Red, swollen, and bleeding gums are another dead giveaway that your vitamin C levels are too low. Without adequate vitamin C, gum tissues become weakened and inflamed, causing blood vessels to bleed more easily. In advanced stages, the gums may even appear purple and rotten before the teeth fall out altogether. [28]

Poor immunity – Vitamin C is well-known for its immunity benefits. This is because it boosts immune cells to help them combat infection and destroy disease-causing pathogens. A vitamin C deficiency is clearly linked to poor immunity and a higher risk of infection and serious illness. [29, 30, 31, 32, 33]

Fatigue and poor mood – Two of the earliest symptoms of low vitamin C are fatigue and poor mood. These symptoms can even appear before a deficiency occurs. [32, 34]

Unexplained weight gain – Vitamin C regulates the release of fat from fat cells. As such, low levels of vitamin C have been linked to higher amounts of belly fat. [35, 36]

As you can see, many “common symptoms of aging” may simply be the result of low vitamin C levels. If you’re experiencing any of the above, it may be time to increase your levels of vitamin C.

Purality Health offers vitamin C in a micelle liposomal formula – meaning your body can actually absorb the vitamin and use it!

To learn more about Purality Health’s Micelle Liposomal Vitamin C, how our micelle liposomal formula works, along with reviews from happy customers – CLICK HERE!

#1 – It protects against sun damage

#2 – It boosts collagen production

#3 – It helps heal wounds

#4 – Keeps your skin hydrated

#5 – Reduces wrinkles

13 warning signs of low vitamin C

To learn more about Purality Health’s Micelle Liposomal Vitamin C, how our micelle liposomal formula works, along with reviews from happy customers – CLICK HERE!

References:

Team Purality Health

#1 – It protects against sun damage

#2 – It boosts collagen production

#3 – It helps heal wounds

#4 – Keeps your skin hydrated

#5 – Reduces wrinkles

13 warning signs of low vitamin C

To learn more about Purality Health’s Micelle Liposomal Vitamin C, how our micelle liposomal formula works, along with reviews from happy customers – CLICK HERE!

References:

Team Purality Health

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