Feed Your Face, Vitamins A & C - Skin Care 101

Are you feeding your face? While taking vitamins is great for the inside of your body, your skin is the last organ to benefit from anything you ingest because every other organ has a need for them as well. Typically there’s not much left for your skin. This is why I always recommend targeting the skin topically to my clients.

All day, everyday our skin is fighting off damage from the sun, from pollution, chemicals, pesticides, etc. But we are not without protection. Just like every other organ in your body, your skin utilizes vitamins for different functions. We need these essential nutrients for wound healing, immune function, antioxidant effects and even collagen synthesis (the production of collagen protein). Feeding your skin topically with these nutrients can help it to heal damage and even prevent future damage.

There are 4 vitamins that have been shown to be the most efficient topically for the skin:

Vitamins A, B3, C & E.

Today I’m just going to focus on A & C, I’ll address the others in another post but I feel A and C are important to understand in starting your skin care journey.

Vitamins A & C both help with:

1. Antioxidant Effects healing free radical damage from UV rays, pollution, etc.

2. Boost Collagen Production though in different ways

3. Improve Appearance Of Skin by brightening, smoothing and firming skin

Vitamin C

also known as ascorbic acid (this will be helpful when looking at ingredient lists)

1. Helps the skin with Collagen Synthesis

essentially food for the cells that produce collagen (fibroblast cells), it ensures that the collagen it’s producing is stabilized and strong

2. Tyrosinase Inhibitor

Stops the production of melanin, so that we can even out skin tone and prevent more hyperpigmentation and melasma from happening

3. Should be used in the morning with SPF

This is helpful to stop damage WHILE it’s happening while still preventing further damage from happening

Vitamin A

also known as retinoic acid (examples of Vitamin A Derivatives- retinol, retinal, retinyl palmitate, tretinoin)

1. Promotes Cell Turnover

meaning the shedding off of old skin cells and the production of new ones, this slows as we age and can make our skin look dull and feel less smooth

2. Stimulates Collagen Production

stimulating fibroblast cells to produce collagen

3. Should be used ONLY at night

Vitamin A derivatives can cause sensitivity on the skin since it is an active ingredient, it’s only recommended to use at night

Both of these vitamins are crucial for healthy skin functions and though they have similar benefits, the skin utilizes them differently.

When Looking For Products With These Ingredients

Vitamin C is fairly easy and accessible to find. I use the Glymedplus and Skin Script RX.

You can use vitamin C daily, but if you get a facial and you’re prone to sensitivity hold off for a day or two afterwards.

Vitamin A derivatives can be a little bit tricky to find a good fit depending on your sensitivity. I personally like to find a serum that has Retinal, vs Retinol.

Retinal is more potent and yet, less reactive for sensitive skin types.

A general rule of thumb for frequency of use is in your

20’s use 2x a week

30’s use 3x a week

40’s use 4x a week and so on

If you’re using Tret then go by what you and your Dr. have discussed.

I personally use my Retinal 1-2x a week because I’m more sensitive and I find that works for me! Everyone’s skin is different and it’s never a one size fits all when it comes to finding a regimen that works for you.

These are some of my favorite ingredients for how healthy and glowing they make my skin look. I hope that you can find some products that work for you and provide the same feeling!

If you have any questions send me a DM or comment below.

Thank you for reading and being here!

With Love,

Rachel