Lifestyle, aging, diet and nutrition all impact the beauty of your skin. To help your skin stay healthy, youthful and beautiful, you need a solid skincare routine that includes collagen, retinol, and vitamin C. Trust us, this combination will work wonders for you! Read for expert tips on how to use vitamin C, retinol and collagen together!
Aging Skin
Let’s first look at how skin changes with age. Our skin’s natural exfoliating process, which was activated every 6 to 8 weeks in our youth, has slowed down. That means we are not turning over fresh skin cells as often and we end up with a layer of dead skin cells on our face. This makes the skin look dull, rough, and dry. This is why it is so important to exfoliate 2 -3 times per week! Read more in our article: The Importance of Exfoliating Your Skin.
Not only that, but we also begin to see more sagging, wrinkles, and lines as we age. This is due to increasing damage to skin cells and a loss of a protein called collagen. You see, collagen lies below the skin to plump it up. When it begins to deplete, we suffer a loss of volume which impacts our appearance by way of wrinkles and sagging.
So how do we combat this loss of collagen?
Perfect Vitamin C
Several products on the market can replace collagen and repair damaged cells. One such product is vitamin C. While including vitamin C in your diet is important, applied topically it can stimulate collagen production and plump your skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Skin will have a tighter and firmer feel and it’s a great first step to treating the onset of wrinkles. For best results, be sure to look for a good quality vitamin C serum with either ascorbic or L-ascorbic acid as the active ingredient.
There are several other benefits of regularly using a vitamin C serum. Rich in antioxidants, it repairs and renews the cells and gives the skin a healthier look. It also restores and regenerates the skin. Vitamin C attacks the free radicals in your body and does some hardcore damage repair. If you have any acne scars left from previous breakouts, you’ll find them fading with regular application. Quality serums act as a natural bleaching agent and can lighten the skin, including age spots and dark circles under the eyes. The serum can offer protection from the sun as we are often overexposed and this leads to hyperpigmentation and sun spots. Vitamin C serum will counteract these harmful effects and, by thickening the dermis layer, also decrease the chance of skin cancer.
It is important to note that retinol, collagen, and vitamin C serum cannot replace your sunscreen. A sunscreen provides much-needed SPF protection by shielding the outer layer of the skin while the vitamin C serum acts as a sun barrier from within the skin. You should apply sunscreen as well as vitamin C serum before going outside for prolonged periods. It also works best with a good-quality moisturizer applied after the serum has been absorbed into your skin.
Benefits of Vitamin C Serum:
- Reduces hyperpigmentation and sunspots
- Renews and repairs your skin
- Decreases the chance of skin cancer
- Brightens your skin
- Reduces dark circles
- Restores and regenerates your skin
Hyaluronic Acid
Another important ingredient to look for in your vitamin C serum is hyaluronic acid. It improves your skin moisture content and at the same time strengthens the outer layers of your skin. The outer skin looks and feels softer, smoother, and plumper; all hallmarks of younger-looking skin!
But that’s not all that hyaluronic acid can do. We know that just about everything, from sun damage and acne to sensitive skin and rosacea, can lead to damaged skin, so repairing your skin’s barrier with skin-identical ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, can go a long way toward fixing, or at least minimizing those issues. Even better, hyaluronic acid also provides antioxidant defence against free-radical damage and reduces inflammation. Also, note that it’s helpful for all skin types! Its lightweight texture isn’t an issue for oily skin, and it’s gentle enough for sensitive skin.
Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid
- Improves skin moisture
- Provides antioxidant defence against free-radical damage
- Makes skin feel softer and smoother
- Repairs your skin’s barrier
- Repairs inflammation
- Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- Prevents skin dehydration
- Reduces dryness
What You Need to Know
If you are searching for a good quality vitamin C serum remember to look for two very important ingredients: the presence of ascorbic/L-ascorbic acid and hyaluronic acid. Both will go a long way towards repairing sun damage, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and giving you soft glowing skin that is more reminiscent of your youth.
The Amazing Power of Retinol
Now that you are well-versed in the beauty of vitamin C, it is also important to consider retinol. Retinol is known as the powerhouse of anti-aging and the best-known skin care product on the market. It is derived from vitamin A and specifically targets:
- fine lines
- wrinkles
- sun damage
- uneven skin texture
- hyperpigmentation
The molecules that make up retinol go deep beneath your skin to help neutralize free radicals. This helps cell production and boosts the production of collagen, which creates that “plumping” effect that keeps your skin from sagging and wrinkling.
Because retinol aids in cell turnover, it can irritate sensitive skin. That doesn’t mean you can’t use it though! We suggest starting small with just a pea-sized amount, two or three nights a week. This is so the skin can build a ‘tolerance’ to the ingredient, becoming more accustomed to it over time. Retinol can then be used more often as time builds.
Using retinol and collagen together can slow the aging of your skin by reducing wrinkles and dryness. For convenience, look for a moisturizer that includes both. We recommend Maritime Naturals Daily Collagen Moisturizer. As an additional bonus, this moisturizer contains a hint of lavender to help repair any dark spots and discoloration. Lavender is also known to reduce inflammation and redness – excellent for anyone dealing with acne or skin conditions such as rosacea.
A key factor in improving your aging skin is being consistent with a good skincare routine and…time. Remember, it took decades to reach this point in your skin’s life – no skincare product is going to reverse that overnight! Use quality products and some patience and you WILL begin to see improvements.
Our Discovery: A Beautiful Skincare Routine including Retinol, Collagen, and Vitamin C
Maritime Naturals is happy to offer some best practices for youthful and amazing-looking skin.
Begin and end your day with a cleansed face. Cleansing in the morning clears away toxins, dead skin cells and excess oils that may occur as you sleep. Cleansing at night will remove makeup, sweat, impurities in the environment, and unwanted skin cells from your face. This cleansing boosts hydration and prepares the face to be receptive to the rest of the skincare routine.
Next, apply Maritime Naturals Vitamin C Serum. This serum is thin and will penetrate deeply into the skin where it can do the most good. It works wonderfully for specific concerns like acne, dry skin, dullness, and wrinkles. This L-ascorbic acid serum also contains hyaluronic acid and vitamin E – an excellent antioxidant combination.
Serum and moisturizer should be used in combination with each other. The rule of thumb is to always follow your serum with a moisturizer. Maritime Naturals Daily Collagen Moisturizer is our favourite. This daily anti-aging moisturizer is formulated with collagen and retinol to improve elasticity, giving you radiant, youthful, plump skin. This anti-wrinkle pH-balanced hydrating formula includes ingredients such as Lavender, Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter, Vitamin E and loads of unique active botanicals to promote firmness.
Using Maritime Naturals Exfoliating Scrub 2-3 times per week is also a great way to keep your skin looking bright and refreshed.
Finally, and most importantly, use good quality sunscreen. This is your BEST defence against slowing down the aging process.
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You can find Maritime Naturals here at www.maritimenaturals.com or go to Amazon for your shopping needs.
About Maritime Naturals:
At Maritime Naturals, we harness the best nature has to offer and transform it into skin-loving, hydrating and protecting products that help you keep that beautiful, youthful glow.
Born in breathtaking coastal Nova Scotia, Canada, our skincare company is dedicated to keeping the ravages of time, life and the environment from damaging your delicate skin.
Our carefully crafted organic, antioxidant-rich products help keep your skin cleansed and moisturized while stimulating collagen and restoring and rejuvenating your appearance. We do that naturally, without harsh chemicals, so you can feel good about your skincare routine and face the world with a renewed, younger, and healthier look.
