Dr. Mark Lees Answers All Your Skin Care Questions.

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Q: I would like to hear about collagen production stimulated by vitamin C that I keep reading everywhere. Is that the vitamin C that we ingest, or the vitamin C that we apply to the skin? If the collagen is produced in the dermis, how can this vitamin be able to penetrate the whole epidermis and help collagen production?

A: Vitamin C is a wonderful antioxidant, and is necessary for collagen production. My opinion is that it is, topically, a better antioxidant than a collagen stimulant. However, there have been a lot of problems with stability, because vitamin C oxidizes very easily. You can tell this when a serum or cream turns dark quickly. I prefer working magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, an ester form of vitamin C that is more stabile and penetrates better. It can be liposomed for better delivery.

The latest trend in antioxidants is to use several different ones in one serum. There are many types of free radicals, and they respond differently to different antioxidants. A serum that contains magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, tocopherol (vitamin E), and strong antioxidant botanicals such as grapeseed and green tea extracts, will help to neutralize these damaging radicals.

You also might want to consider using peptides, the latest firm skin-enhancing group of ingredients. Look for palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 or palmitoyl tetrapeptides and oligopeptides.

Making sure you get the daily requirement of vitamin C in a food source or supplement is also very important for good skin!

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