When I think back to when I first developed an interest in skincare … hmmmm.. one particular product stands out as the one that started my initial fascination with anti-aging products. I definitely recall being at a Nordstom beauty counter in the Columbus, Ohio area on a shopping excursion for the day over 20 years ago. You see, I grew up approximately 120 miles northwest of the Columbus, Ohio area in a much smaller town so a day shopping in Columbus was a big deal way back then.
Being in my twenties was nothing special with respect to skin care. I never really had many pesky skin eruptions until I hit my early thirties. Prior to that point in time, I had once casually mentioned new signs of dryness, itchy red patches and red bumps in my t-zone to my gynecologist on a routine visit. He prescribed a combination antibiotic / steroid topical cream that cleared things right up. Other than that, I had fairly clear skin.
My early to mid thirties brought about new changes in my complexion due to changing aging hormones. Bouts of redness, rosacea and itchy dry skin battled with oily troublesome breakouts that really frustrated me. It was as if one part of my face was simultaneously battling the other part of my face for control. 🤷♀️
I distinctly recall walking past a counter with a display that showed a giant beautiful orange 🍊 alongside a dark brown bottle pictured with a smiling beautiful model and stopped. Fruit always gets me to stop. I love citrus.🍊 All of it. Especially oranges. Gimme all the oranges! 🍊🍊🍊 I had just stumbled across Perricone MD’s Vitamin C Ester. I remember picking up the tester bottle to smell the product, inhaling the light citrusy orange scent and pumping a bit of the product onto the back of my hand. It felt so silky smooth against the back of my hand and smelled so good! I really didn’t care what it was actually supposed to “do” for your skin. I just knew I wanted to try it and feel that smooth, silky orange smelling serum on my face. I also remember the gratifying thrill of feeling a slight stinging sensation when I tested the product on my face at the beauty counter. I am fairly certain it helped things that I was in one of my dry, itchy, patchy stages because like it or not, I was already hooked into my soon-to-be skincare obsession.
I have religiously used Vitamin C Ester for almost 20 years. It works without all of the skincare problem headaches that can tag along when including a Vitamin C product in your skincare regimen.
Vitamin C is applauded for all of its super anti-aging and brightening effects upon your skin. There is a science behind incorporating a regular dose of Vitamin C into your skincare regimen. Vitamin C helps produce the collagen that keeps skin firm while reducing the appearance of wrinkles. It protects the skin from sun damage and dark spots. It provides protection against sunburn, photoaging, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, sagging, dryness and uneven skin tone. Research even shows that it can help reverse damage done from ultraviolet rays.
And yet … Vitamin C facial serums still continue to cause frustrating sensitivity problems for many women when incorporated within a skincare regimen.
Vitamin C serums and creams can work for you in your skincare regimen. It may take you some trial and error and some tweaking with your existing daily products. You just may need to follow some basic guidelines as to how to apply, how often and when to mix (or not mix) what with what. Sooooo… without further ado… 🍊🍊 here are a few guidelines that have worked for me over the years when working with Vitamin C in my skincare system.
How: Apply to almost-dry skin. I cannot emphasize this enough! Please do not apply your Vitamin C to wet skin. This can cause irritation, bumps, redness and itching. Trust me, I have learned this from personal experience the hard way. The only times I have ever experienced eruptions, white bumps, red bumps, patchiness or any type of irritation was when I hurried along and applied the Vitamin C serum to wet skin! Yep, I knew better, but of course I did so anyways here or there and my skin did not like it when I did that!
Rule of thumb: Somewhat mildly DAMP to DRY skin = the perfect base for your Vitamin C skincare product. This is the single most important step to your success with any Vitamin C product!! I have used this product for almost 20 years and trust me, this is a game changer.
But the product works better on wet skin.. right?? Doesn’t wet skin allow the product to penetrate more deeply at a faster rate?? Well… yes.. of course it does. But remember, this is a strong concentration of product. A serum is being defined here to be an amber-colored protein rich liquid that is designed to penetrate deeper to deliver active ingredients into your skin. Vitamin C serums are concentrated and designed to do the work so you don’t have to. Wet skin can cause the serum to penetrate too deeply too fast and that is what can lead to skin irritation.
Warm the product up with your fingertips before you apply it to your skin and use sparingly! A little goes a long way. In fact, all serums should be handled this way. They are designed to be potent. The little bit of warmth from your finger tips helps the product to penetrate into your skin.
When: Vitamin C should be applied after your skin is cleansed (and toned if you use toner) but before you apply your moisturizer. In general, apply in the morning so as to reap the benefits from it protecting you against sunburn and photoaging. Make certain you give it time to absorb into your skin and don’t forget to apply a sunscreen as your last topical application to your face before leaving the house.
Avoid: Avoid layering Vitamin C with AHA/BHA acids such as glycolic or lactic acids. Layering Vitamin C with these products is a waste of money! Vitamin C is unstable and these products just make it more so. Likewise, layering it alongside niacinamide may also render it less effective so try to avoid combining the two as well. Skip direct layering with retinols as well.
Combine: Feel free to layer Vitamin C before a moisturizer such as Hyaluronic Acid as this can have a synergistic effect since both can happily coexist on your skin.
Store: Most Vitamin C products are sold in dark bottles. This is because Vitamin C loses effectiveness when combined with direct sunlight. So keep it in a dark, cool, dry place. Also, keep an eye on the consistency of your product formula. Some Vitamin C serums tend to break down after 6 months of being opened. and your serum may start to smell different so keep your nose on the lookout for any changes in smell.
Listen: Finally, listen to what your skin is telling you. Consider introducing this great beauty serum into your skincare system early on. Introduce it slowly. Do the patch tests the product brochures tell you to do. Test for sensitivity. If you have a reaction, use it less often. Cut back on the amount of product you use. Listen to your skin. Consult a dermatologist for any medical recommendations when reactions occur.
Fast forward to Summer 2020 😉 ~ Summer 2020 Perricone MD upped its product line to include the combined Vitamin C Ester CCC + Ferulic Brightening Complex at a 20% concentration. I have been using this product since early August and have been thrilled with the results. Even skin tone, firmness and more glow to boot! I have had to scale it back from 5 days per week to 3 days per week because of the higher strength. But I can tell you that my love of Perricone MD Vitamin C products have grown with this new product introduction.
The Future of Skincare Looks Bright: Perricone MD Introduces its Most Powerful and Potent Vitamin C Technology. Next level Vitamin C Ester CCC + Ferulic Brightening Complex 20% innovation boasts highest concentration yet with three forms of Vitamin C.
Perricone MD July 17, 2020, 09:00 ET prnewswire.com
The linked caption above provides you with all of the detail and science behind the product so I will just leave that for you for your spare time 🙂
**All opinions and experiences are my own. I am not a medical professional. Please consult a dermatologist for medical opinions regarding your medical skincare concerns. I share my opinions and experiences as a matter of facilitating discussion on topics that interest women of all ages. I welcome your feedback, comments, input and experiences with similar products being reviewed.**