How to Support Skin Health Naturally--Without Botox or Plastic Surgery!

I often get asked if there is something that patients can take or do, that is not invasive, to help make their skin look healthier.

I totally get it.  I have been looking for products and programs to make my skin look beautiful even before my skin had wrinkles and sun damage…

Now that I have a few more years behind me, I am starting to show some of the real signs of aging, and I don’t care for it.  Especially now, I still want something to make my skin look refreshed and healthy.

You may be like me, showing the signs of aging for which you are not quite ready.

Do you have skin that seems dry even when you religiously moisturize it?  

Are you doing all the right things such as drinking half your body weight in ounces of water and your skin is still dry and flaky instead of supple and smooth?

What about that feeling that your skin is getting progressively thinner over time and sagging in all the worst places?

And finally, have those fine lines and wrinkles that started around your eyes now started to spread out over more of your face?

Now, I believe that aging is a natural and beautiful part of living, but I also know that I don’t want to show the signs of aging any sooner than necessary.

Fine lines and wrinkles are not the end of the world, nor is dry skin, but if there was something extra that I could do to easily remedy those things I would do it.  

If that one thing would give me a bit more confidence and satisfaction when I look in my mirror getting ready each morning, then I am all in!

That special something for skin health is called vitamin C.   Yes, the same vitamin C that we take to help boost our immune system in the winter is also fundamental for the health and integrity of our skin, which relates to its smoothness and beauty.

Firstly, vitamin C is essential for the creation of collagen, a protein that provides the structural integrity of our skin.   If you were to think of our skin like a bed, collagen would be the box spring that keeps our skin from sagging in the middle.   So ingesting enough of the vitamin and using it topically as a serum can help keep your skin from sagging. 

Secondly, although more traditionally used as a supplement to be taken orally, vitamin C can also be purchased as a serum that is used directly on the skin.

When a vitamin C serum is used topically in the morning, its antioxidant effects can help counteract oxidative stress caused by sun exposure and ultraviolet light (UVA). 

If you didn’t know, oxidative stress, as caused by UVA rays, and environmental chemicals/pollution that get on our skin throughout the day are huge contributors to the visible signs of aging such as wrinkles.   
But remember, although helpful, vitamin C is not a replacement for sun protection such as hats and sunscreen. 

Finally, did you know, that in addition to helping protect our skin from the aging effects of the sun and its ability to help with collagen formation to fight saggy skin, it also helps reduce dry flaky skin by reducing trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL)?

Vitamin C, both topically and orally, can help improve your skin barrier formation maintaining hydration on the inside where it is needed. 

I’ll be honest, even with all these amazing benefits of vitamin C, I was a little hesitant to try it for the first time. I somehow thought it would be very irritating to my sensitive skin.  As an antioxidant, it is anti-inflammatory and soothing in most cases, so my fear was unfounded.

Since trying vitamin C, my skin has been happy and healthy without irritation, and I can be confident I am doing one healthier thing that is slowing the signs of aging.

Now, if you are thinking that you would like to increase the vitamin C in your life, then here are your first steps: 

1)   Eat more foods that are rich in vitamin C such as peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage,  cauliflower, citrus fruit, parsley, kale, and kiwis.

2)   Consider additional supplementation with oral vitamin C.

3)   Find a quality vitamin C serum to use twice daily.  I recommend Vit C Serum by Baebody.

That’s it, three very easy steps to increase the health and beauty of your skin naturally!

Rachel Oppitz, ND