Vitamin C is a common staple among many beauty and skin companies because of its incredible detoxifying effects and protection against free radicals from UV rays. That’s not all though, It can also help clear up pigmentation, dark spots and even out the skin tone making it very common in lots of products like sunscreen and Obagi’s new Professional-c range and AlumierMD Everactive
What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is most often related to being an antioxidant and working with enzymes to synthesise collagen. This makes it prime material for those looking to get a quick way to a youthful complexion. Not only this but it can also help boost your natural immune system and all around keep your skin, bones and cartilage healthy. Deficiency in Vitamin C is rare unless you are malnourished but there are plenty of good reasons on why to have more going through your body.
What are the signs of low vitamin C levels?
The most common sign of a Vitamin C deficiency are feeling tired, weak, and irritable. This can progress into a severe deficiency which is better known as scurvy which can cause bruising, gum and dental problems, dry hair and skin, as well as anaemia.
How can vitamin C help?
There are many great reasons to have a Vitamin C injection like enhancing immune systems, increasing collagen and keeping your skin healthy, the biggest being the aforementioned immunity boost. With our current environment there are so many different diseases floating around, especially with the pandemic still raging on, this makes it vital to have a strong immune system when going out with friends or heading to the shops.
Strong immune system
The reason vitamin C helps with this is because it promotes the production of white blood cells which it then protects from harm giving you that added boost that you need to survive cold and flu season.
Another great function of vitamin C is actually preventing other deficiencies, namely, those related to Iron. Iron is incredibly important in transporting oxygen around your body and creating the vital red blood cells you need. Although plenty of people on special diets like vegans and vegetarians don’t get nearly enough which is why a vitamin C injection can be very important to them as it helps your body absorb what iron you do get more efficiently. This is also the reason a great many going through pregnancy will be told to take extra vitamin C due to the greater demand of red blood cells you need with your baby growing.
Help Ageing Skin
As said earlier, ageing can be a prime reason for wanting a vitamin C injection as it promotes the creation of collagen, something I’m sure plenty of beauty gurus will have talked about endlessly. Collagen is important in keeping the skin tight and its elasticity high so that you can keep the wrinkles and fine line free skin for longer.
How can you get vitamin C when you’re deficient?
Vitamin C can be prescribed as an injection and also done here at Arden Clinic, Bradford and leeds. They are quick working and will last far longer than most other supplements. This is because an injection bypasses the digestive tract and reaches the cells directly. This means it can get to work MUCH faster then their oral substitutes. This is supported by how low the absorption rates of oral supplements are. For instance, if you take a calcium supplement, your body’s digestive system absorbs 10-30% of the pill while the rest will be flushed out, meaning that a lot of the time you’re wasting money on oral pills.
Downtime and side effects
Downtime with a Vitamin C injection is minimal with a sore arm being the main drawback but this clears up within a day or two at most. Side effects aren’t bad either but you can experience dizziness, feeling of warmth, headache, pain and swelling at the injection site, redness of the face, neck, arms and occasionally, upper chest and temporary faintness. These are all of course very rare and most won’t experience anything besides a mild scratch during the treatment and a sore arm afterwards. An overdose won’t cause any adverse reactions either as it will be passed through the body and any excess will be removed through urine, sweat and other body functions.
Who can have it done and how long between injections?
You should not get a vitamin C injection if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or under the age of 18.
Usually you would have this injection once every 2 weeks to keep the levels healthy as the usual cap of vitamin C is around 2000mg a day to avoid any complications that may arise. Of course this can vary depending on the individual but should be close to this time scale.
How much is a vitamin C injection?
A vitamin C injection is only £30 which can combined with other vitamins such as Glutathione.