The human body is one of the mammals that does not produce vitamin C internally but requires it for staying healthy. The raw form of vitamin C is contained in all citrus fruits like lemons, grapefruits, etc. and in some other fruits and vegetables. The amount of vitamin C contained in different fruits and vegetables varies and should one want to know the details then one could consult a dietary chart. The most common of vitamin that one can get is known as ascorbic acid which is a water soluble solution. One can also get chewable ascorbic acid tablets. Vitamin C is needed by the body as it is an antioxidant which is required to protect the proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the body.

It is also required to synthesis collagen which is an important component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments and bones. We often see ads on TV promoting vitamin C for stringer bones, or if it is the ad of a product rich in vitamin C the same message is delivered. It was the British navy that discovered that vitamin C deficiency was the cause of scurvy. Even if vitamin C is taken in small doses on a regular basis it helps in keeping the body healthy and of course if the body is healthy then the skin would also be healthy. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is available in many forms but one cannot say with any amount of certainty which form is better. By better one means that it is better absorbed in the body and is therefore more useful.

There is a fair amount of evidence that vitamin C for skin care is said to protect the skin against fine lines and wrinkles. However vitamin C in its raw form is unstable and with oxidation it becomes ineffective and may also be potentially harmful to the skin. Some skin care product makers offer vitamin C in a stabilized form, but these are expensive and may deteriorate with usage. One does see complaints from women who have used vitamin C ester cream and have felt a tingling sensation on their skin during the first few uses and after that they have found no effect of using vitamin c ester skincare products. There could be two reasons for this, the first being that the skin has got used to the vitamin c ester skincare product and it maybe helping the skin and it is not being noticed or the second reason could be that the vitamin c ester skincare product has degenerated due to oxidation. Vitamin c ester and skin care products are being marketed by a number of companies and one cannot say with any certainty how useful one product is over the other. Most vitamin c ester products are sold as creams that one is advised to apply once a day and most women give a preference to using it before going to bed. Vitamin C ester skincare products are advertised as restorative creams, and are supposed to restore the skin.

As vitamin C is a necessary requirement of the body its consumption would definitely have an affect on the largest organ of the body which is the skin. Vitamin C derivatives of sold in many forms and its usage in helping cure various ailments is well known among the medical practitioners community. What is required in vitamin C skin care is for the vitamin c to penetrate into the skin cells and release L ascorbic acid that should suffice to help increase collagen synthesis. Right now there are only two compounds in the skin care market that are not irritating like vitamin C and are stable, these are ascorbic palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate. There are other compounds also which should be in the skincare products markets soon.

So where it is known that the consumption of vitamin c does help in skincare however the usefulness of derivatives and skin rejuvenating creams and other vitamin c skin care products is uncertain.