What Once Was Is Now Again

Age, sunshine, tobacco, pollution and illness deplete collagen levels. You can’t get away from aging. You can take time in the morning to apply sunscreen to stop the sun from letting those rays onto your face. You can stop smoking. You can get away from pollution by moving to the country, but if your job doesn’t allow you the freedom to simply pick up and move to another part of the country, then you’re probably stuck where you are. The final thing, illness, can hardly be avoided. It can be put at bay by several methods, but when that little bug comes around, and you hope that that late night last night followed by the stressful morning this morning didn’t break down your immune system, you have hope and a prayer to avoid getting sick.

And yet, there are other, more potent factors that are affecting your skin, such as those free radicals that keep creeping up in the scientific community. Free radicals are caused by ozone, oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, exhaust fumes, and inorganic particles. You see, the oxygen that we breathe is actually O2, and the ozone that is disintegrating is causing O3 to fall. Well, with that extra oxygen molecule, it causes an unstable element, and that last molecule must get away, in order to become O2. The extra molecule is called a free radical, and free radicals cause a myriad of problems for your skin. They diminish your skin’s structural support, decrease the elasticity, resilience, and suppleness. After time, with more free radicals bombarding your skin, wrinkles, and liver spots appear. Finally, with the increase in particles, and lack of filtration system, UV rays come down and cause even more problems.

But, for all the problems that are out there, there is help, and the most natural, most effective treatment, is Vitamin C. Vitamin C synthesized collagen, helping the skin to maintain its supple appearance, reduces fine lines, and restores the firm texture. It is also a potent anti-oxidant, stopping those free radicals from bombarding your face. Other common skin problems such as acne, hyperpigmentation and general irritation are eradicated with Vitamin C. Cosmetic companies have taken l-ascorbic acid, and put it in different bases, such as water for oily skin, and oil based, for drier skin. They have also mixed it with different bonding agents, such as ascorbyl palmitate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and tetra substituted lipophilic acerbates.

While unmodified vitamin C remains an important skin care ingredient, the derivative does a better job in some situations. They are more stable, more affordable, and less irritating. They are also as effective in boosting skin collagen synthesis. However, they do not stimulate the collagen synthesis and exfoliate at the same time, as high potency vitamin C products are highly acidic and have a natural exfoliating agent.

So, take care, but don’t worry too much about the effects of the world on your skin. As long as there’s vitamin C, we will always be able to have beautiful skin.