When You'll See Results: Once you add vitamin C to your skincare regimen, you may start seeing noticeable improvements in three weeks. It can help significantly fade hyperpigmentation in about two months.
It helps fade hyperpigmentation
Since it impedes melanin production, vitamin C can actually fade hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation — including sunspots, age spots, and melasma — occurs when melanin is overproduced in certain areas of the skin. It can also happen in areas where acne has healed.
When vitamin C is exposed to light it becomes unstable, the consequences include irritation, inflammation and acne. All of these can cause post inflammatory pigmentation, leaving you worse off than when you started.
How Long Does Vitamin C Serum Take to Work? You will likely notice skin improvement 4-12 weeks after starting routine use of vitamin C serum.
One study found a topical gel containing vitamin C was able to significantly reduce the elevation and discoloration of fine facial scars at 6 months.
Always allow your serum to absorb for 60-90 seconds, to ensure it has time to penetrate the skin. Follow up with a moisturizer to lock in the goodness of your serum, and bolster your skin's protective lipid barrier.
The brightening properties of vitamin C also extend to fading dark spots and lightening hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C inhibits the pathway of abnormal production of skin pigments (melanin) to even out the skin tone and lightens dark spots, sun spots, acne scars, blemishes, and hyperpigmentation due to melasma.
How do you know if your vitamin C serum is working? Corinthian says that if your vitamin C serum changes color, it might be time to throw it away. "When vitamin C is exposed to air, it oxidizes and changes its form into something that isn't as effective, and it doesn't work as well on your skin," he explains.
When vitamin C acts as a pro-oxidant, the consequences include irritation, inflammation, collagen and elastin breakdown, and acne. So if you have any of these skin ailments, and are using a vitamin C serum, then its time to re-think your regimen.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) plays an important role in maintaining skin health and can promote the differentiation of keratinocytes and decrease melanin synthesis, leading to antioxidant protection against UV-induced photodamage.
Vitamin C is a naturally occurring substance and an essential nutrient. It has various biological and pharmaceutical functions. It inhibits melanin synthesis through downregulation of tyrosinase enzyme activity.
AHAs and BHAs, such as glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids should never be used with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an acid, too, and is unstable, so the pH balance will be thrown off by layering these ingredients together and might as well be useless.
In this case, turning to dermatological procedures will work as the fastest way to get rid of hyperpigmentation. Chemical peels, laser therapy, microdermabrasion, or dermabrasion are all options that work similarly to rid skin of hyperpigmentation.
For post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), without any treatment at all it can take anywhere from three months to two years for the discoloration to fade, depending on how dark the patches are, and even then it may not disappear completely.
For skin lightening, a high dose of 1000mg to 3000mg is recommended. Even your body produces glutathione from amino acids. Take a high dose of 1,000 – 3,000 mg of Vitamin C daily either through supplements or fruits.
Hyperpigmentation is a harmless skin condition that people can get rid of using removal techniques such as cosmetic treatments, creams, and home remedies.
Vitamin C serum benefits
If you're wondering when to apply a vitamin C serum, the answer is both morning and night, after cleansing and toning. One study even recommends applying a vitamin C serum every eight hours, or twice daily for the pinnacle of protection.
Dermatologists say these face brightening and tightening formulas—suitable for a wide range of skin types, including acne-prone, hyperpigmentation, oily, dry, and sensitive skin—are the best vitamin C serums money can buy.
A Vitamin C serum should be used in your bedtime routine and a couple of drops of it should suffice. Tap it on your skin using your fingertips and leave it on overnight. Wash your face in the morning and apply SPF to avoid any skin irritation.
Vitamin C serum (leave to absorb for 1-2 minutes)
Dr Khan explains: “With vitamin C, you want to get the most out of the product by not diluting it. A couple of minutes should be an adequate time for the product to dry down before you go in with your next step.”
“Storing a vitamin C serum correctly is integral to its success,” Schlessinger says. “A good rule of thumb is to toss the serum six months after it's been opened and to keep the serum in a cool, dark place.” If you're using it according to the instructions, it'll likely be gone before the six months is up.
The recommended daily amount for vitamin C is 75 milligrams (mg) a day for women and 90 mg a day for men. During pregnancy, 120 mg a day are recommended. The upper limit for all adults is 2,000 mg a day.
A tell-tale sign of vitamin c over-use can be increased blackheads or a development of blackheads. General skin irritation and breakouts can also occur if you are using your vitamin c too much or too often. We recommend using your serum 1-2 times a day and 2-4 drops is all that is needed.