Table of contents:
- Why is vitamin C important for the skin?
- What are the functions of vitamin C for the skin?
- 1. Photoprotection
- 2. Prevents wrinkles
- 3. Accelerate wound healing
- 4. Prevent dry skin
Having bright and healthy skin is everyone's dream, especially for women. There have been many beauty products that are sold freely to help improve skin health. One of the ingredients contained in these skin beauty products is vitamin C.
Not only from beauty products, natural vitamin C, which we can get from various types of food, has long been believed to be beneficial for skin health. Actually, what are the functions of vitamin C for the skin?
Why is vitamin C important for the skin?
Vitamin C has antioxidant properties and plays a very important role in collagen formation, so that the presence of vitamin C cannot be separated from healthy skin. Vitamin C is found as a constituent of the dermis and epidermis layers in normal skin. However, due to the aging process, the content of vitamin C in the dermis and epidermis can decrease. Hence, it is a lot of skin care products antiaging which adds to the content of vitamin C to slow down the skin aging process. Apart from aging, the content of vitamin C in the skin can also decrease due to exposure to ultraviolet rays and pollutants on the skin.
One of the ways to get natural vitamin C for the skin is from food. Foods that contain vitamin C include citrus fruits (such as oranges), strawberries, broccoli, and spinach. You can also get it from taking vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C, which is obtained from these foods, will then be circulated by the blood to the skin. Eating foods that contain vitamin C can help improve the performance of sunscreen applied to your skin, so that your skin is protected from the dangers of ultraviolet rays and prevents skin cell damage.
What are the functions of vitamin C for the skin?
The following are some of the functions of vitamin C for your skin.
1. Photoprotection
Vitamin C can protect the skin from damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. This can happen because the antioxidant content in vitamin C can fight free radicals that cause skin damage. Free radicals are formed when oxygen interacts with several molecules. Then it enters the body and reacts with DNA or cell membranes, resulting in cell damage.
Ultraviolet light can reduce the levels of vitamin C in the skin. How much is lost depends on the intensity and duration of exposure to ultraviolet rays to the skin. Therefore, apart from protection from the outside by using various skin care products that contain vitamin C, internal protection obtained from foods containing vitamin C is also very necessary to protect your skin from damage.
2. Prevents wrinkles
Vitamin C is a compound needed to form collagen, which is needed to prevent wrinkles. Vitamin C has been shown to stabilize collagen mRNA, thereby increasing collagen synthesis to repair damaged skin.
Research shows that a high intake of foods containing vitamin C is associated with reduced wrinkles on the skin, resulting in better looking skin. Other studies have also shown that using skin care products containing vitamin C for 12 weeks can reduce wrinkles on the skin, reduce breakdown of protein fibers, reduce skin roughness, and increase collagen production.
3. Accelerate wound healing
Maybe not many people know that vitamin C can speed up wound healing. However, in medicine, vitamin C is commonly used in oral therapy in people who have pressure sores, which occur because they are too long in a sleeping position, and in people who have burns.
Vitamin C can increase collagen synthesis and reduce the inflammatory response in the wound area. In addition, the antioxidant properties of vitamin C also help reduce damage to the injured area caused by free radicals. Therefore, vitamin C can help speed wound healing in healthy individuals.
The body uses vitamin C to replace damaged skin tissue with scar tissue, allowing the body to heal wounds faster. In people with low levels of vitamin C in the body, the wound may take longer to heal.
4. Prevent dry skin
Research shows that a high intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of dry skin. Vitamin C and other nutrients for the skin, such as vitamin E, can make the skin more moisturized and less dry. Therefore, to maintain skin moisture, the level of vitamin C in your body, which is obtained from food, must be fulfilled properly.
Vitamin C is also needed to maintain healthy blood vessels under the skin, which carry a lot of oxygen and nutrients. This is because the blood vessels under the skin are composed of collagen, where vitamin C plays a role in collagen synthesis.
