Get Glowing Skin with These Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin C Tips
There aren’t many skin care ingredients out there more beneficial than hyaluronic acid and vitamin C.
Unlike many other activities that can only be used by people with specific needs and skin types, these two ingredients are powerhouses across the board.
That’s likely what makes them so incredibly popular and why they’re so often found in skin care products. We want you to love them as much as we do at Skin Pharm, so here’s what sets hyaluronic acid and vitamin C apart and what benefits they can provide for your skin.
Hyaluronic acid basics
Hyaluronic acid sounds scary, but it’s actually something that’s already naturally found in the human body – usually in the joints and eyes.
Essentially, our body produces the substance to help cushion and lubricate our joints and other tissues. It’s this buoyancy that helps to make hyaluronic acid so effective in skin care. Hyaluronic acid is actually able to attract and then hold onto up to 1000x its weight in moisture.
While it isn’t hydrating on its own, hyaluronic acid hydrates the skin by pulling far more moisture to it than it could have ever created by itself. Let’s look at hyaluronic acid on a chemical level. It falls into a category known as glycosaminoglycans, which is classified as vital for supporting the skin’s matrix.
In fact, hyaluronic acid is the most important of the glycosaminoglycans, and it is essentially able to keep the skin stable and constantly renewing itself. Not to mention, hyaluronic acid is also considered a humectant, meaning it draws in moisture. Double duty, right?
That moisture has the potential to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by plumping up the skin, helping to smooth them out. This is also part of what makes the skin feel softer and more smooth after regular application.
Vitamin C basics
Vitamin C is another amazing skin care ingredient that has proven benefits. Instead of being made naturally in the body, vitamin C is something that we need but can’t make on our own. That doesn’t mean that it’s not essential, though.
Vitamin C works as a potent antioxidant, meaning one of its main jobs is to help the body fight off the signs of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is often to blame for many of the visible signs of the aging process, so having a way to fight it off is worth its weight in gold.
The way it can help our skin is twofold, by both helping to protect it from ultraviolet radiation from the sun and stimulating the body to produce more collagen. While the first of these benefits is impressive, it’s the second one that makes the most difference.
Collagen is the main support protein of the skin, helping to give it both its firmness and its elasticity. Unfortunately, as we age, the collagen in our skin naturally degrades. And, instead of continuing to produce enough collagen to replace what we’ve lost, our collagen production also slows down. It’s one of those unfair tricks of nature.
Vitamin C may also be able to help with under-eye circles. This is all in the way that it can help promote the quicker turnover of skin cells. Some people also believe that vitamin C may slightly increase the thickness of the skin under the eyes (specifically, the dermis). This can reduce the shadowing in the under-eye area, making them appear less dark.
Using hyaluronic acid + vitamin C together
When it comes to using hyaluronic acid and vitamin C together to maximize your results, there are a few tips and tricks that you can use to help get your glow back safely and efficiently. Here are a few of our favorites.
Use products in the right order
When it comes to skin care, how you apply them can make or break the results you want. For instance, any effective skin care routine has to start with cleansing the skin. Essentially, cleansing the skin gives you a blank slate to apply all your other skin care products. With less dirt, debris and makeup to work through, they can penetrate deep into the pores.
A good rule of thumb is to cleanse, tone, treat with serums and moisturize in that order. If you use products in that way, it helps to maximize the absorption of all of them.
For individual hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serums, you’ll want to apply your hyaluronic acid first, then vitamin C. We recommend starting with our Youth Serum to prime the skin, followed by Glow Factor for that added photoprotection. Make sure to give it a few minutes between product applications to let everything absorb and not dilute the effectiveness.
And, as we said, always make sure that you moisturize at the end of your skin care routine. One of the leading causes of dullness and age-related concerns is a lack of proper skin hydration.
This can result from a variety of issues, like the products you use, your sun exposure, your age, and the amount of water you drink during the day. Regardless, the result is a skin barrier that can’t keep the proper hydration in the skin.
Moisturizer helps that barrier rebuild itself and does the job for it while working on doing that. It’s an essential, and maybe the most critical, part of any skin care routine.
Don’t rush – start slow
Regardless of what skin care products you go with, it’s important to slowly incorporate them. Never start more than one product at a time so that you can monitor for signs of allergic reactions. It’s also a good idea to do a patch test to be extra safe, where you apply a tiny amount of medication to a small area of your face and monitor it for 48 hours.
This can tell you with a lot more certainty whether you will be able to tolerate the product or not. Then, start with applying your product either morning or evening until your skin adjusts.
Use the right amount
In addition to safely incorporating hyaluronic acid and vitamin C into your routine, it’s also important to know the right amount of product to use. Too many people get caught up in the idea that more product equals better or faster results.
While there really isn’t anything wrong with using more serum, essentially, it is a giant waste of product (and money).
All you need is a small, pea-sized amount (or about half a dropper) to cover your entire face with a thin coating to be effective, and you can make your serum last much longer if you’re not overusing it.
Support your body in other ways, too!
It’s not all about the benefits of using hyaluronic acid and vitamin C for the skin. A real focus on skin care has to involve the whole body, so that the change is happening from both the inside and out. Really, it’s no different from taking care of your body in any other way.
Drinking plenty of water, for instance, boosts the hydration level of the skin but also supports your overall health and well-being. Same as eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
Make sure that you’re getting plenty of sleep every night to support both your body and your mind. You’ll be amazed by the type of benefits that your skin can get by just focusing on taking better care of your body overall.
And, to protect that glow, make sure that you’re focusing on always wearing sunscreen. We all know we should be doing something, but it can also be easy to forget when you head out on your day.
Using a skin care product with SPF in it (especially if it is broad-spectrum and waterproof) can help so that you don’t have to add an additional step to your routine.
Ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun is one of the biggest factors in premature aging. Doing what you can to prevent exposure is the best way to keep yourself looking youthful and feeling healthy.
To sum everything up...
Hyaluronic acid and vitamin C work great separately and even better together. When you know how to apply them appropriately, it can help you to get the skin of your dreams in no time flat.
You can count on Skin Pharm to help you be able to take control of your skin care routine because everyone deserves to have skin that they’re proud of. Never underestimate the power of a quality, supportive skin care routine in achieving your best skin yet.
Peer review
This article was medically reviewed by Chelsie Rogers, PA-C, a board-certified physician assistant with 6 years of experience in cosmetic dermatology.
SOURCES:
Vitamin C in dermatology | National Institutes of Health
Effects of vitamin C on dark circles of the lower eyelids: quantitative evaluation using image analysis and echogram | National Library of Medicine
