Beauty products have been around for centuries. Historically, women in elite circles wanted to stand out against their rival peers in a bid to capture the eyes and hearts of noble gentlemen seeking marriage. With so few noble elites and several women competing for their attention, the stakes were high and it was a zero-sum game – the winner takes all.
In those days, women would try everything and anything that might set them apart, including mercury laced powders and creams to make their skin fairer – an aesthetic trend of the time, and, ironically, to prevent ageing. Little did they know that those very products accelerated ageing and brought about unwanted ailments like cancer, causing early deaths.
Fast forward a few hundred years and things have moved on quite considerably in terms of the technological advancements in beauty products, but some things have remained the same: women have an insatiable desire to enhance their beauty, prevent the effects of ageing, and there is no shortage of manufacturers offering products with exaggerated claims.
So much of the cosmetic market relies on hype. It is no different from the 17th century travelling salesman offering snake oil as a remedy to cure your every ailment. But how many of these products actually work, and have any of them stood the test of time? Sadly, most of them don’t, but fortunately, some of them do.
This article is about one of the few products that actually provides benefits – Vitamin C serum. Opulent Aesthetics considers it one of the essentials that should form part of your skin care routine, along with your treatments.
Not only does it improve your skin, but it can accelerate the healing process after your favourite go-to treatments like microneedling and facial peels, which you can access from Opulent Aesthetic’s cosy studio in Purley, South Croydon.
What is vitamin C serum?
Vitamin C serum is a high-concentration of L-ascorbic acid. It comes in liquid form and can be applied directly to the face and skin.
It is a natural product derived synthetically from glucose, normally from products like corn-starch, which make it more accessible compared with extracting it from fruits directly.
The corn-starch goes through a two-stage fermentation process before being oxidised to make L-ascorbic acid. The result is a L-ascorbic acid that is chemically identical to that extracted directly from fruit, making it easier, more sustainable, and cost-effective to produce.
What are the benefits of using vitamin C serum?
Vitamin C serum offers a host of benefits to your skin. These include:
- Brightening your skin tone – Vitamin C serum helps to fade hyperpigmentation, sunspots, and scars from acne by inhibiting melanin production, resulting in an even and radiant skin complexion.
- Reduces signs of ageing – Vitamin C serum boosts collagen production naturally, which gradually declines with age. This means fewer lines and wrinkles, and firmer and healthier looking skin for longer.
- Improves skin texture – By increasing cell turnover, and collagen synthesis, your skin will be smoother and softer to the touch.
- Prevents free-radical damage – Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant that neutralises free-radical damage – an invisible process that harms your skin through sun, pollution, and exposure to stress.
- Strengthens your defences against the sun – Although not a substitute for sunscreen, Vitamin C enhances the efficacy of SPF creams, keeping your skin safe from the sun’s harmful UV rays, which is the leading cause of skin ageing.
How to apply Vitamin C serum for best results
Vitamin C serum is best applied once daily, and in the morning. This is because your Vitamin C serum enhances the protection provided by SPF sunscreen, which supports your anti-ageing goal.
If you are new to using vitamin C serum, consider using it 2-3 times a week to begin with and increase your use gradually. This will give your skin a chance to adapt to the serum’s acidity, particularly if you have sensitive skin.
The order in which you apply vitamin C serum matters. It’s important to apply it after your cleansing and toning routine, but before applying moisturiser, sunscreen, or makeup.
Here is an example of a good vitamin C skincare routine:
- Cleanse your skin with a gentle cleanser.
- Apply a toner if part of your routine.
- Dispense 2 – 4 drops of the serum onto your fingertips.
- Pat or gently massage it into your face and neck.
- Wait a minute or two to let it absorb.
- Follow with moisturiser.
- Apply sunscreen if used in the morning (SPF 30 or higher recommended).
Top tips for best results
Remember to buy a vitamin C serum with a minimum of 10% concentration, but not greater than 20%. To amplify the effects, pair your serum with vitamin E and ferulic acid, as they increase the serum’s stability and effectiveness.
Keep your serum stored in a cool and dry place because sun exposure breaks down the formula.
If you find that vitamin C serum irritates your skin, switch to a gentler alternative like magnesium ascorbyl phosphate or sodium ascorbyl phosphate.
Results to expect
In the short term (1-2 weeks), you will notice that your skin looks brighter with a subtle glow. This is because of improved hydration of your cells.
In the medium term (4-6) weeks you will see that dark spots begin to fade, leaving your skin tone looking smoother.
In the long term (8 weeks+) you will find that your skin looks firmer with fewer fine lines, and you will have provided lasting protection against environmental damage.
Combining Vitamin C with other treatments
Vitamin C serum enhances the effectiveness of other treatments like microneedling and facial peels, and the difference can be quite dramatic.
Let’s explore those treatments individually and how vitamin C interacts with them.
Microneedling
Microneedling treatment involves making lots of micro punctures in the outer layer of your skin using a special device with very fine needles. The tiny punctures trigger your body’s natural healing response, which includes collagen and elastin synthesis.
More than this, the punctures enable deeper absorption of skincare products that enhance your skin’s ability to repair and regenerate.
L-ascorbic acid is a cofactor for prolyl and lysyl hydroxylase, enzymes required for collagen formation. Greater availability of these products therefore enhances collagen production – the ultimate goal of microneedling treatment.
Microneedling is often used to correct scars from acne and other skin conditions. Vitamin C helps reduce post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which reduces redness and swelling, and promotes faster healing and recovery.
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Facial peels
Facial peels, also known as a chemical peel, use a mild acidic formula to gently dissolve the outermost layer of facial skin, exposing a newer fresher layer with less blemishes. They are great for correcting acne scars and hyperpigmentation, and can reduce the visibility of fine lines caused by ageing or environmental damage to your skin.
Vitamin C serum has lots of positive benefits after a facial peel. It furnishes your face with a warm glow, and reduces inflammation, redness, and hyperpigmentation, particularly for darker skin tones. It also encourages fibroblast activity and skin repair, reducing downtime and enhancing the overall quality of your skin.
After a facial peel, your skin is more vulnerable and prone to damage, especially from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Vitamin C serum provides additional protection, especially when combined with a good SPF cream (minimum of factor 30).
Opulent Aesthetics provides both microneedling treatments with exosomes, and facial peels, from its comfortable and professional studio in Purley, South Croydon. You can implement these treatments in rotation to ensure you get the maximum benefit and stave off ageing for that little bit longer.
Final thoughts
There are many cosmetic products that you can do away with, but vitamin C serum is not one of them. It should form part of every beauty queen’s morning ritual, so make sure to invest in a high-quality serum.
Beauty treatments at professional studios like Opulent Aesthetics is only part of the equation. Your daily routine and aftercare are equally an essential part of looking and staying youthful for as long as possible, and vitamin C serum is an invaluable ingredient in your anti-ageing armoury.
Opulent Aesthetics prides itself on sharing the most crucial developments in enhancing and preserving beauty, and delivers the highest quality treatments supported by decades of scientific research.
Book your appointment with Sadie today, and discover the world of beauty that lives within you.
