Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Not only does it “hold you together,” it regulates temperature and protects against infection and injury.
It receives sensory information, stores water and fat, and is integral in converting UVB rays from sunlight into vitamin D3.
So taking care of your skin is about more than fighting the signs of aging… it’s pretty serious stuff.
But doing both? I’m on board.
So get ready to save money on the expensive creams you hoped would work, and find out what truly does…
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Vitamin C from the inside out supports skin renewal
The skin consists of three layers: the epidermis (outer layer), the dermis (middle layer) and the subcutis (inner layer).
Collagen, a fibrous protein found in the dermis, gives the skin its elasticity and strength. When we injure our skin, collagen fibers help repair the damage. Collagen also keeps our skin plump and youthful-looking.
But with aging, collagen production declines. Skin becomes thinner and more prone to signs of aging and injury. This makes skincare cream very popular, especially those formulated with vitamin C, an essential nutrient for collagen production.
There’s just one problem…
Vitamin C dissolves easily in water, so it doesn’t absorb all that well through the outer skin barrier. Turns out, there’s a much better way…
A research team from New Zealand has shown that dietary vitamin C is much more effective at raising blood levels of vitamin C. From there, it’s much easier for vitamin C to get taken up by skin cells, reaching through to every layer of the skin.
This blood-to-skin connection works much more efficiently to boost collagen production than topical application.
Participants in the study ate two SunGold kiwi fruit a day — the equivalent of 250 micrograms of vitamin C — for eight weeks.
At the end of this period, participants showed a measurable improvement in skin thickness, indicating increased collagen production and greater renewal of the skin’s outer layers.
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Feed your skin vitamin C
Lead author Professor Margreet Vissers notes that other foods high in vitamin C would have worked just as well.
“We suggest that increasing your dietary vitamin C intake will result in effective vitamin C uptake into all compartments of the skin,” she says.
Maintaining steady vitamin C levels in the blood is essential. But since the body doesn’t store vitamin C, daily intake of at least 250mg is needed to reach and maintain optimal blood levels.
Luckily, there are plenty of vitamin C-rich foods out there, and it doesn’t end with citrus fruits. Take your pick and renewing your skin from the inside out…
- Orange – 51.1mg per cup
- Strawberries – 89.4mg per cup
- Pineapple – 96.7mg per cup
- Kohlrabi – 83.7mg per cup (and loaded with fiber!)
- Mango – 60.1mg per cup
- Brussels sprouts – 125.8mg per cup
- Guava – 125mg per fruit
- Bell peppers – 118.4mg/green pepper; yellow, red, and orange pepper have more than 160mg in one pepper
- Papaya – 95.6mg per fruit
- Broccoli – 81mg per cup
- Tomato juice – 121mg/cup
- Kale – 93.4mg per 100 gram serving
- Cauliflower — 563.6mg per large head
Sources:
Eating more vitamin C can physically change your skin — Science Daily
Improved Human Skin Vitamin C Levels and Skin Function after Dietary Intake of Kiwifruit: A High-Vitamin-C Food — Journal of Investigative Dermatology
What is Skin Collagen and Why is it Important — Columbia Skin Clinic
Read full article here