When to apply Vit C Serum?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

free skin care · Sun Jul 18, 2010 2:27 pm

I've changed my regime with pretty good results regarding C serum application.

I was using it 3 or 4 times per week in the A.M. Now I use it 3 or 4 times per week at night, and have switched to using a more potent antioxidant serum during the day. (I noticed improvement with my green tea spritz, so now I use a kicked up a notch DIY "Cell Stimulating Serum".)

Personally, I feel that the more antioxidants I can incorporate during the day to quelch the free radicals, the better my skin looks and feels. So my choice is to save the C for night time, in the hopes that it catches what my other goodies have missed... Laughing

So far, so good!

free skin care · Tue Apr 24, 2012 4:26 pm

RussianSunshine wrote:

Dr Dennis Gross, Vit C serums are for PM use only "as the potency of Vitamin C is deactivated by the sun".

Not if it is stabilized by other antioxidants. There is a pecking order, and it is also concentration gradient sensitive. Look for combo C and E. They actually protect each other in sunlight, and both are protecting your skin. C during the day is fine.

free skin care · Wed Apr 25, 2012 6:02 am

Lotusesther wrote:

Maybe night time use of the dr Gross serum is recommended because there is ascorbyl palmitate in it.

Well here is an abstract from 2002 that seems to verify your point.

Journal of Investigative Dermatology:

Vitamin C Derivative Ascorbyl Palmitate Promotes Ultraviolet-B-Induced Lipid Peroxidation and Cytotoxicity in Keratinocytes

Alexander Meves*, Sibylle N Stock, Astrid Beyerle, Mark R Pittelkow and Dominik Peus1

Departments of Dermatology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.A.
*Radiation and Environmental Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
Correspondence: Mark R. Pittelkow, Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905; Email: pittelkow.mark@mayo.edu

1Present address: Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Biederstein, Technical University Munich, Germany.

Received 28 February 2001; Revised 29 May 2001; Re-revised 6 April 2002; Accepted 8 July 2002.

Among the preventative and protective strategies against the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation to the skin is the application of antioxidants. Ascorbic acid has been shown to protect against sunburn, delay the onset of skin tumors, and reduce ultraviolet-B-radiation-induced skin wrinkling. In this work, we sought to determine the antioxidative properties of a lipid-soluble derivative of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid-6-palmitate. We found that ascorbic acid-6-palmitate reduced cellular levels of reactive oxygen species following ultraviolet B irradiation. Treatment of keratinocytes with ascorbic acid-6-palmitate inhibited ultraviolet-B-mediated activation of epidermal growth factor receptor, extracellular regulated kinases 1 and 2, and p38 kinase because of its ability to prevent reduced glutathione depletion and scavenge hydrogen peroxide. Ascorbic acid-6-palmitate strongly promoted ultraviolet-B-induced lipid peroxidation, c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation, and cytotoxicity, however. End products of lipid peroxidation, such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, have been reported to mediate stress-activated protein kinase activation and cell toxicity in epithelial cells. The lipid component of ascorbic acid-6-palmitate probably contributes to the generation of oxidized lipid metabolites that are toxic to epidermal cells. Our data suggest that, despite its antioxidant properties, ascorbic acid-6-palmitate may intensify skin damage following physiologic doses of ultraviolet radiation.

http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v119/n5/full/5601674a.html

free skin care · Wed Apr 25, 2012 4:54 pm

Didn't see it mentioned, but also worth considering is that once absorbed, ascorbic acid stays/works in the cells for up to 72 hours...

With that in mind, I alternate my 'antioxidants' with nice results.. I also switch use day/night for C,E & FA serum and typically use it 3 times per week.

For me, keeping my skin guessing yields the nicest results. I'm not a slave to any "one" thing ever.

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.