A common vitamin found in fruits and vegetables may help slow a key sign of aging—thinning skin.
In a new Japanese study published by Science Alert, researchers discovered that vitamin C can increase the thickness of the skin’s outer layer, the epidermis. They achieved this by feeding lab-grown human skin models with vitamin C in concentrations that mimic real-life delivery via the bloodstream.
“Vitamin C seems to influence the structure and function of epidermis, especially by controlling the growth of epidermal cells,” said Akihito Ishigami from the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology.
The research, led by Yasunori Sato at Hokuriku University, found that vitamin C kick-starts genes linked to cell growth by activating DNA demethylation—a process that plays a role in how cells mature and multiply.
Healthy human skin already contains high vitamin C levels, which tend to drop as we age or face sun damage. This study suggests those lost benefits can be restored.
Vitamin C also supports the enzymes that carry out demethylation by keeping their iron components active, further promoting skin cell production.
After 14 days, vitamin C-treated skin showed a thicker layer of living cells and a thinner layer of dead cells on top, hinting at faster regeneration.
“We found that vitamin C helps thicken the skin by encouraging keratinocyte proliferation through DNA demethylation,” Ishigami added, “making it a promising treatment for thinning skin, especially in older adults.”
Article updated 1 day ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
