The benefits of vitamin C on facial skin

Our skin is the largest organ in the body and its primary function is to protect our internal organs from the hostile environment. It protects us from pathogens, UV radiation, mechanical impacts, pollution, dangerous chemicals and dehydration.

The two main layers of the skin are the epidermis and dermis. The external layer, the epidermis, is the cellular layer that protects our internal organs. The dermis is the internal layer of the facial skin which provides elasticity and strength, as well as nutrition to the epidermal layer. The dermis is mainly composed of collagen fibers and has a complex network of vascular, lymphatic and neurons.

Facial skin contains high concentrations of vitamin C. The highest concentration is in the epidermis -about 60 (mg/100 g Wet Weight) compared with 10 (mg/100 g Wet Weight) in the dermis.  Unfortunately with age, facial skin rapidly loses this essential and protecting nutrient. Clinical studies shown that aged skin loses 70% of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) concentrations compared with young skin. As the concentrations of vitamin C decrease, facial skin becomes more vulnerable to the external environment and starts to age. Regretfully, human beings are unable to synthesize vitamin C in their bodies and must rely on oral intake of ascorbic acid or topical application of vitamin C.


How does vitamin C help the skin?

Anti-aging benefits: The dermis provides elasticity and strength to the facial skin.  Its main structure is collagen fibers and clinical studies have shown that from the age of about 20 we lose about 1% of collagen fibers in the skin every year, primarily due to sun exposure. In simple words, without any treatment, at age of 35, we have already lost approximately 15% the collagen fibers in our facial skin. This results in thinner skin and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Therefore, vitamin C is essential for the production of new collagen fibers and its decrease results in collagen degradation.

Anti-inflammatory benefits: Vitamin C is an anti-inflammatory nutrient that helps to counter age-related inflammatory skin conditions such as Rosacea.  It also promotes wound healing and prevents post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Skin whitening benefits: Vitamin C decreases the formation of melanin.  It therefore aids in skin lightening, helps the skin maintain an even tone and repairs pigmentation damage.

Protects skin from sun damage: UV rays from the sun cause photodamage which decreases the production of collagen.  This results connective tissue disruptions, damage to blood vessels, and impairment of the wound healing process.  Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant capable of neutralizing the free radicals caused by the UV rays.  In addition, ascorbic acid increases the collagen synthesis and cross-linking and helps the skin repair itself, therefore reversing the UV-induced photodamage.

The biologically active form of vitamin C is ascorbic acid. Unfortunately, ascorbic acid is a very unstable molecule, yet this is actually the condition that makes it a powerful anti-oxidant. When ascorbic acid degrades (as a result of exposure to light and oxygen) it loses its benefits to the facial skin, and its color turns from white to yellow-brown.

In order for your skin to benefit the most from vitamin C you need to use pure and un-degraded ascorbic acid.  If you are using a topical product like vitamin C serum or vit C cream, and its color is already yellow, it most likely contains a degraded form of vitamin C and is useless.

The NowMi Treatment:

Facial treatments typically involve multiple steps that cleanse, exfoliate and nourish the skin in order to provide a clearer, more rejuvenated, and well-hydrated complexion.  Oxygen facial treatments in particular are known for their skin revitalization and anti-aging attributes.

The NowMi facial treatment is the latest advancement in oxygen facial treatments. The treatment consists of 4 simultaneous actions – exfoliation of the outer layer of the skin, infusion of essential nutrients and oxygenation of the treatment area from within the skin for optimal absorption and efficacy of the infused nutrients. In addition to these three steps which are performed in most professional facial treatments, the NowMi treatment adds a critical fourth step of skin protection.  The protection is achieved by infusing the skin with pure vitamin C, vitamin E and hyaluronic acid.

The vitamin C in the NowMi treatment is in the form of ascorbic acid.  It comes in an effervescent tablet which is sealed by a protective sachet from light and humidity.  This ensures that the purest and most potent levels of ascorbic acid penetrate the skin.

How does the NowMi treatment work?

The NowMi treatment performs 4 skin actions simultaneously:

  1. Exfoliation – The exfoliation is performed using the vitamin C effervescent tablet.  The tablet has a slightly coarse surface which gently removes the most external layer of the skin.  The exfoliation deeply cleanses the skin and removes all dead skin cells, dirt and oil.  It also opens up the pores so that they optimally absorb the active ingredients.
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  2. Nourishment – The interaction between the effervescent tablet and the gel creates micro CO2 bubbles which deliver vitamin C, vitamin E and hyaluronic acid into the skin and restore its depleted reserves. Research has shown that when taken orally, the absorption levels of vitamin C are very low, and only a fraction of the quantity taken is used by the body and active in the skin. Therefore, in order to effectively nourish the skin, the vitamin C is best applied topically.  The ascorbic acid contained in the NowMi tablet is of the highest level of purity. This makes the tablet incredibly effective since unlike any other product on the market, the vitamin C isn’t exposed to air and light, factors which dramatically degrade its quality. By adding vitamin C, the skin is nourished with effective anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and anti- pigmentary agents.  The vitamin E and Hyaluronic acid help the skin maintain its moisture and firmness, and the vitamin E further enhances the effectiveness of the vitamin C.
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  3. Oxygenation – The interaction between the gel and tablet creates micro CO2 bubbles that penetrate the skin’s surface. In response to the increase in CO2 levels, a physiological response called the Bohr Effect is triggered, and the body sends oxygen rich blood to the target area.  This increases the capillary flow and the skin’s metabolism which results in the optimal absorption of the active ingredients and more rapid cell turnover.
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  4. Protection – Vitamin C is the most prevalent antioxidant in the human skin and can be found in large concentrations in the dermal and epidermal skin layers.  Unfortunately, the body is unable to produce vitamin C and serious deficiencies can even lead to disease.

As we age, the concentration of the antioxidants, including vitamin C decreases, and aged skin is said to have 70% less antioxidant concentrations compared to younger skin.  As the concentrations decrease, the skin becomes more vulnerable to damaging extrinsic factors such as solar UV radiation, pollution and smoking.  These factors are known to cause ‘oxidative stress’ which rapidly accelerates damage caused to the skin. While the antioxidants shield against the oxidative stress, excessive exposure can overwhelm the defense mechanism and result in photoaging, immunosuppression and photocarcinogenesis.  Clinical studies have shown that vitamin C creates a photoprotective effect against photoaging.   The vitamin curbs collagen disintegration and pigment damage.  Most importantly, vitamin C helps to stabilize the collagen fibers and produces new collagen.