Just as a multitude of vitamins are used by the body for health, many vitamins are required by the skin for healthy function.

A cocktail approach must be taken as each impacts the skin via a different mechanism of action.

The three most important to the skin, but by no means the only 3 necessary, are Vitamins A,C,E.

Vitamin C is the best known in terms of skincare, there are a multitude of products available.

The reason that Vit C is so important in skincare is that it cannot be made by the body so it must be taken in the diet and applied topically.

Vitamin C is usually used in the form of Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate as it is more stable than the fire L-ascorbic acid form. In the skin, Vitamin C is used for collagen product for anti-ageing, as an agent in lightening hyperpigmentation spots and as an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, protecting skin cell health.

It reactivates Vitamin E within the skin when it has been compromised by oxidisation.

Vitamin E is a naturally occurring anti-oxidant molecule abundant in the stratum corneum. It can be easily depleted by sunlight and this is where vitamin C comes into play as above.

It can be useful in a skincare product also for it’s surface moisturising effects.

Vitamin A has long been the gold standard in anti-ageing skincare with numerous studies proving it’s efficacy in reducing ones and pigmentation. It is vital for skin cell generation and normal function, as well as playing a part in stem cell health.

It is a keratinisation regulator, meaning it can smooth rough and lined skin, and by keeping pores clear by cellular renewal it plays big part in acne treatment too.

It:

• Increases epidermal proliferation, differentiation and density
• Increases collagen synthesis
• Increases glycosaminoglycans (cellular fluids).
• Vitamin A has many derivatives, each operating at a slightly different strength. At Skin Essentials by Mariga we use retinyl acetate which is a milder derivative which will not produce the redness or irritation often associated with Vitamin A , particularly the prescription strength.
  • It has been shown that using the milder derivatives over a longer period of time will produce the same results as high strength applications.

Skin Essentials by Mariga utilises Vitamins A, C and E in our Overnight Repair Cream, a must for anyone concerned with ageing and improving the appearance of the skin.

 

All homecare should contain vitamin C and A (E is naturally occurring in the skin but supplementing it with homecare can be useful) along with other anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins as these two vitamins are crucial for skin health and function.

Vitamins A,C,E also help repair UV damage from daily exposure and for this reason we put them in our Skin Essentials by Mariga SPF30 day cream for a full spectrum daily protectant product.