Technical Stuff
The secrets of Vitamin C
Fabrizio Scarfone (email | website) submitted:
The aim of this article is to understand the use of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, which can be found in nature, but it cannot be produced by the human body. Therefore, we have to introduce vitamin c into our body by lincluding it in our diet.
On one hand Vitamin C virtually inexpensive but unfortunately has a short life due to its unstable nature. On the other hand stable versions of Vitamin C are expensive.
THE BASICS
Vitamins are organic (carbon containing) molecules that mainly function as catalysts for reactions within the body. A catalyst is a substance that allows a chemical reaction to occur using less energy and less time than it would take under normal conditions. If a catalyst is missing, as in the case of vitamins deficiency, normal body functions cannot be performed and a person it susceptible of diseases.
Vitamins can be divided into two large groups: Fat soluble Vitamins are the one of the complex A, D, E and K. They are stored within the fat and in the liver. Fat-soluble vitamins are often associated with toxicity when taken in large amounts.
Water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and the B vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins taken in excess are excreted in the urine and are not usually associated with toxicity. Both vitamin C and the B vitamins are also stored in the liver.
Vitamin C is also responsible for the synthesis of collagen which is a very important structural element for the construction of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, bone and skin. Vitamin C also plays an important role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. Neurotransmitters are critical to brain function and are known to affect mood. In addition, vitamin C is required for the synthesis of ‘carnitine’, a small molecule that is essential for the transport of fat to cellular organelles called mitochondria, for conversion to energy . Recent research also suggests that vitamin C is involved in the metabolism of cholesterol to bile acids, which may have implications for blood cholesterol levels and the incidence of gallstones .
Does vitamin C promote oxidative damage under physiological conditions?
Vitamin C is known to function as a highly effective antioxidant in living organisms.
However, in test tube experiments, vitamin C can interact with some free metal ions to produce potentially damaging free radicals. Although free metal ions are not generally found under physiological conditions, the idea that high doses of vitamin C might be able to promote oxidative damage in vivo has received a great deal of attention. Widespread publicity has been given to a few studies suggesting a pro-oxidant effect of vitamin C, but these studies turned out to be either flawed or of no physiological relevance. A recent comprehensive review of the literature found no credible scientific evidence that supplemental vitamin C promotes oxidative damage under physiological conditions or in humans. Studies that report a pro-oxidant effect for vitamin C should be evaluated carefully to determine whether the study system was physiologically relevant, and to rule out the possibility of methodological and design flaws.
Vitamin C is also a highly effective antioxidant. Even in small amounts vitamin C can protect indispensable molecules in the body, such as proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species that can be generated during normal metabolism as well as through exposure to toxins and pollutants (e.g. smoking). Vitamin C may also be able to regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamin E.
How Much Vitamin C Is Needed for Antioxidant Activity?
Free radical pathology may occur when the body's antioxidant mechanisms cannot keep pace with the rate at which free radicals and other oxidants are being formed. To supply the body with enough antioxidant power, R.F. Cathcart, a clinical practitioner who has treated thousands of patients with vitamin C, believes each person should take the vitamin up to his or her "bowel tolerance" level. Simply put, this is the level just below the daily dosage that would cause you to have diarrhea.
As Dr. Jeffrey Bland reports in The Nutritional Effects of Free Radical Pathology, Cathcart believes that the more severe the toxicity from oxygen radicals, the more vitamin C one can tolerate. Therefore, your bowel tolerance level may be 10,000 mg per day or more which should be taken in divided doses.
Vitamin C in photoageing
Vitamin C contained in cosmetics plays a potent role in diminishing the effects of free radical damage and in this role can be quite effective as a protectant from ultra violet light damage. The advantage of vitamin C over a sunscreen is that vitamin C can be absorbed into the cells and is generally still present about 30-36 hours after it has been applied topically to the skin.
Topically applied antioxidants exert their benefits by offering protection from damaging free radicals produced when skin is exposed to ultraviolet light or allowed to age naturally. A significant body of scientific research supports the use of cosmetics containing vitamin C.
Wrinkles:
Vitamin C plays an essential part in the incorporation of proline into collagen and is also involved in the formation of elastin. With a deficiency of vitamin C impaired collagen is created and the skin can become more wrinkled. The replacement of vitamin C boosts the manufacture collagen and so wrinkles can become less noticeable after using vitamin C.
Pigmentation:
Vitamin C effects pigmentation in two ways: The creation of melanin is an oxidative process and so a powerful antioxidant like vitamin C could counteract the oxidative process required to create melanin. Ascorbic acid also has a role to play as an inhibitor tyrosinase. Tyrosinase is essential for the formation of melanin, so if it is inhibited then the action of pigmentation is reduced.
The use of vitamin C in scarring:
The use of vitamin C for scarring of the skin is a recent discovery. In this case the vitamin C has to be delivered in high dosage to the skin and as a result of that more collagen will be formed and normal collagen that is often found tethering scars will be replaced with normal collagen and the scars will fill up to a degree and become less noticeable. This process seems to be best effected with the use of iontophoresis. Enclosed is a photograph to show the numerous effects of vitamin C when iontophoresed onto a patient with severe chicken pox scars. You will notice that after a period of 24 treatments of iontophoresis of vitamin C the skin looks smoother, the pigmentation has been reduced and the scars are flatter.
The role of the beauty therapist in the preparation of the patient for laser resurfacing of the skin:
Laser resurfacing of the skin is a destructive procedure of the epidermis of the skin and is best likened to a superficial burn of the skin. In most cases the whole of the epidermis and the rete pegs are destroyed and the skin has to heal from remnants of epidermal cells found in the hair follicles and the sweat glands. In a superficial burn of the face which has very many hair follicles and sweat glands, the healing phase can take about five to seven days.
Bearing this in mind the beauty therapist should prepare her client for the laser by getting the skin into its optimum health. To do this one has to make sure that the vitamin status of the skin is kept up in its healthiest condition and daily applications of vitamin A and C, together with the antioxidant vitamins E and beta-carotene should be done. One should try and reduce excessive horny layer or rough skin prior to the laser treatment. If the laser treatment is planned in several months and the patient has rough skin then it is worthwhile to do some ultra light peeling on the skin simply to reduce the amount of the horny layer. This may be done with the daily use of an alpha hydroxy acid. The one that I favour most would be lactic acid, and then periodic ultra light peeling done once a week with a low dose alpha hydroxy acid.
The skin care therapist can influence the keratinocytes so that they will grow faster and heal the wound much sooner. The best way to do this is to prepare the skin with vitamin A, which increases the rate of keratinocyte duplication. This effect would be boosted by the use of alpha hydroxy acids, which would also stimulate keratinocyte growth in the early phases. The client has to be carefully trained in sun protection strategies, because once the skin has been treated with laser, then it will be significantly more sun sensitive. The reason for the sun sensitivity is the very thin horny layer that will persist for several months and also the fact that the epidermis is very much thinner than it used to be. The client should be instructed in the use of a proper protective hat and, if necessary, the use of sun protection creams.
On the point of sun protection creams it is probably wiser not to rely on a cream with a SPF ratio of higher than about 16-20. The reason for this is that one needs to reduce the exposure of the skin to inorganic sunscreen chemicals as much as possible. In this regard it is wiser to use a product which has a major component of inorganic sunscreen chemicals. The additional advantage of these reflective sunscreens is that they may further reduce the clients' chances of getting increased pigmentation following laser treatment. The most perfect sunscreen product would also contain antioxidant vitamins beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C as well as the soothing antioxidant pro-vitamin B5.
If the client has acne and is being treated with laser treatments for acne scars, then it is a wise idea to reduce the status of the acne. This should be done with the daily use of low dose vitamin A which is ideally combined with Australian Tea Tree Oil to reduce chances of acne development. The combination with benzoyl benzoate is also important. Please remember to use the benzoyl benzoate in the morning and the vitamin A rather at night. If necessary peeling should be done to control the acne and I recommend light, but frequent peeling, till the acne condition is stabilised. In acne patients I would the use of high dose vitamin C. However, low dose vitamin C combined with the antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamin E are safe for skin. I do not recommend the use of hydroquinone, though it is generally used by all doctors doing laser treatments.
