In cell cultures. So nothing about topical, or digestive pathways. Just, expose cells to vitamin c rich medium.
How would topical application work, and what kind of homeostasis effect, from ingestion.
If you are low on vitamin c in your diet, sure. If not, you may not get much benefit from having more.
majkinetor · 1h ago
Everybody is low on C in diet. It's thermolabile, and there is glucose competition for GLUT transporters.
IMO, everybody should take at least 2g daily in a couple of doses, particularly smokers.
ethan_smith · 5h ago
Topical vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) at concentrations of 10-20% with pH <3.5 can penetrate the stratum corneum, though stability and formulation significantly impact bioavailability.
burnt-resistor · 9h ago
Oh lord, not another "wellness hack". And here comes the people giving themselves kidney stones and spinal cord problems to be featured on Chubbyemu.
honestly that video was surprising on how safe zinc is. I mean he went so beyond anything close to a reasonable dose. bro was eating tubes of dental paste.
asveikau · 7h ago
This is a weird video to see after one of my son's doctors told me I should supplement him with zinc. Of course I'm following dosage recommendations.
burnt-resistor · 7h ago
If there's a real deficiency, it should be managed with blood tests.
Growing up and recently, I've been anemic (iron deficient) without any obvious medical cause. That requires supplementation with an unusual amount of iron.
Also, I'm vitamin A deficient at baseline and have to take large amounts, around 15k IU/day, to stay within the "normal" range. (50% above ordinary UL.)
asveikau · 4h ago
Yeah I'm not going to go into everything but this was based on lab work.
storus · 1h ago
Blood tests are often misleading, not showing tissue deficiencies. For those there might be 1-2 labs in the world that can do them depending on the type of deficiency.
SlowTao · 4h ago
As a vaguely related aside, my skin is typically better when I have a decent vitamin c intake. Essentially all I do is have a orange or two every night. Nothing too extreme.
This is VERY anecdotal!
jandrewrogers · 2h ago
Oranges are not particularly high in ascorbic acid as such things go, so I would expect any effect to be pretty marginal. Other fruits and vegetables contain considerably more.
amelius · 32m ago
The effects can be significant, even if not due to vit C but something else in the oranges.
radu_floricica · 4h ago
This just found a potential mechanism, right? Because we did know that, AFAIK. A doctor recommended me vitamin C for faster healing of minor lesions about a decade ago.
woleium · 9h ago
So possible treatment for age related thinning of the skin.
kanbankaren · 9h ago
Well, there are already multiple skin creams with Vitamin C. They have been available for a long time, but they are expensive for what it provides.
Just taking a 500mg x 2 Vitamin C supplements should provide enough for skin repair.
inkyoto · 8h ago
Let's not engage in quakery and resort to knowledge instead.
Oral and transdermal (topical) application of Vitamin C (and other molecules in general) follow completely different routes with different absorption rates and accompanying nuances.
Oral intake. Absorption rate is dosage dependent:
– At moderate doses (≤ 250 mg/day): 70–90 per cent of ascorbate is absorbed into the bloodstream. Bloodstream means just that – Vitamin C will be distributed throughout the entire body, which includes tissues, internal organs and skin. Active absorption takes place in the small intestine predominantly by SVCT1 and SVCT2 sodium-ascorbate co-transporters.
– At high doses (≥ 1g a day): passive diffusion takes over and also takes place in the small intestine although now via GLUT transporters that become saturated and absorption efficiency drops to 50 per cent or lower.
The half-life of Vitamin C taken orally is approximately four hours anyway, after which any excess of it still circulating will be rapidly excreted via the renal route (kidneys). Studies report that significantly less than 0.1 per cent makes into the epidermal (skin) layer.
Transdermal (topical) application. Depends on the concentration and several factors, but a 20% concentration serum (not a cream) can achieve a > 80% absorption rate through the skin into receptor fluid after 24 hours. Half-life of Vitamin C applied topically is approximately 4 days.
Recap: less than < 0.1 % / 4 hours half-life for the oral route vs more than 80 % / 4 days half-life for the transdermal route.
majkinetor · 1h ago
Liposomal C will achieve higher concentrations in cells as it doesn't rely on GLUT/SVCT.
Otherwise, the absorption of high doses depends on stress level - when you are not healthy, your body will absorb A LOT more, as shown by vitamin C bowel tolerance method.
To be sure you have it where it counts, take all forms of C - liposomal, film, AA and topical
inkyoto · 24m ago
Ascorbyl palmitate («liposomal C»), when taken orally, is absorbed by the same active‐transport and passive‐diffusion mechanisms as plain vitamin C, with the same saturation thresholds. And it has the same problem as ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate and calcium ascorbate – it gets distributed throughout the entire body with only minute amounts reaching the «skin».
Topical application of ascorbyl palmitate/«liposomal C», on the other hand, has very poor uptake due to the molecule size being too big to penetrate the skin layer[0]:
L-ascorbic acid must be formulated at pH levels less than 3.5 to enter the skin. Maximal concentration for optimal percutaneous absorption was 20%. Tissue levels were saturated after three daily applications; the half-life of tissue disappearance was about 4 days. Derivatives of ascorbic acid including magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl-6-palmitate, and dehydroascorbic acid did not increase skin levels of L-ascorbic acid.
Key takeway: «Derivatives of ascorbic acid including magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl-6-palmitate (a.k.a «liposomal C», and dehydroascorbic acid did not increase skin levels of L-ascorbic acid».
Liposomal C IS NOT ascorbyl palmitate. The point is about liposome anyway, not the form of vitamin C. There are a number of research papers showing higher bioavailability, some even claim its similar to IV.
kanbankaren · 8h ago
Is the 80% absorbed Vitamin C through transdermal route cross the epidermis & dermis layers?
inkyoto · 4h ago
That is indeed correct.
MangoToupe · 8h ago
Therapy is another option
anon373839 · 2h ago
I know this was a joke, but I can't really understand the worldview that says people should accept physical decline in a passive way. The fact is, we actually have a lot of control over how quickly and how well we age. Just using sunscreen can prevent a lot of the age-related loss of skin structure. And interventions like topical retinoids or collagen induction (e.g. microneedling) can even restore some thickness and elasticity that have already been lost. This also goes for fitness, joint health, and a lot of other things. Caring for your body is actually well aligned with the goals of psychotherapy.
ch4s3 · 8h ago
Red light, or something more chemical?
MangoToupe · 8h ago
Ah I should have said "psychotherapy" to get the joke across better
apt-apt-apt-apt · 3h ago
So true. I have been vitamin-C deficient the past 20 years and my skin has definitely degraded.
deadbabe · 9h ago
This is why you need to include a good vitamin C serum in your daily skincare routine.
mmmpetrichor · 3h ago
I get all my skincare advice from hackernews.
m463 · 7h ago
"I always use an after-shave lotion with little
or no alcohol because alcohol dries your face out and makes
you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye
balm, followed by a final moisturizing "protective" lotion..."
Bateman stares into the mirror. The masque has dried,
giving his face a strange distorted look as if it has been
wrapped in plastic. He begins slowly peeling the gel masque
off his face.
ipnon · 6h ago
“Looking good doesn’t affect your success” is one of those pernicious anti-advices like “elite university degrees don’t matter” and “family connections are worthless in our meritocratic society.”
JumpCrisscross · 1h ago
A, B, C, D, E and water.
A is a light retinol. B is niacinamide. C is C. D you should be making from sunlight (or getting from supplements). E is E. Water is moisturiser.
Pretty much all evidence-based skincare comes down to providing these vitamins (plus water) to your skin.
How would topical application work, and what kind of homeostasis effect, from ingestion.
If you are low on vitamin c in your diet, sure. If not, you may not get much benefit from having more.
IMO, everybody should take at least 2g daily in a couple of doses, particularly smokers.
https://youtu.be/oeyt2zVqCG8
Growing up and recently, I've been anemic (iron deficient) without any obvious medical cause. That requires supplementation with an unusual amount of iron.
Also, I'm vitamin A deficient at baseline and have to take large amounts, around 15k IU/day, to stay within the "normal" range. (50% above ordinary UL.)
This is VERY anecdotal!
Just taking a 500mg x 2 Vitamin C supplements should provide enough for skin repair.
Oral and transdermal (topical) application of Vitamin C (and other molecules in general) follow completely different routes with different absorption rates and accompanying nuances.
Oral intake. Absorption rate is dosage dependent:
The half-life of Vitamin C taken orally is approximately four hours anyway, after which any excess of it still circulating will be rapidly excreted via the renal route (kidneys). Studies report that significantly less than 0.1 per cent makes into the epidermal (skin) layer.Transdermal (topical) application. Depends on the concentration and several factors, but a 20% concentration serum (not a cream) can achieve a > 80% absorption rate through the skin into receptor fluid after 24 hours. Half-life of Vitamin C applied topically is approximately 4 days.
Recap: less than < 0.1 % / 4 hours half-life for the oral route vs more than 80 % / 4 days half-life for the transdermal route.
Otherwise, the absorption of high doses depends on stress level - when you are not healthy, your body will absorb A LOT more, as shown by vitamin C bowel tolerance method.
To be sure you have it where it counts, take all forms of C - liposomal, film, AA and topical
Topical application of ascorbyl palmitate/«liposomal C», on the other hand, has very poor uptake due to the molecule size being too big to penetrate the skin layer[0]:
Key takeway: «Derivatives of ascorbic acid including magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl-6-palmitate (a.k.a «liposomal C», and dehydroascorbic acid did not increase skin levels of L-ascorbic acid».[0] Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/11207686
Bateman stares into the mirror. The masque has dried, giving his face a strange distorted look as if it has been wrapped in plastic. He begins slowly peeling the gel masque off his face.
A is a light retinol. B is niacinamide. C is C. D you should be making from sunlight (or getting from supplements). E is E. Water is moisturiser.
Pretty much all evidence-based skincare comes down to providing these vitamins (plus water) to your skin.