WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - According to a new study, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, found that vitamin C can help make the skin's outer layer thicker by turning on genes that help skin cells grow.
Led by scientist Yasunori Sato at Hokuriku University, the research also found that vitamin C might help slow down some signs of skin aging.
To see how vitamin C affects skin, researchers grew human skin cells in the lab in a way that copies how skin works in the body. Some cells were given vitamin C through a nutrient solution, while others were not.
After a week, the cells given vitamin C developed a thicker layer of living skin cells. After two weeks, the layer became even thicker. At the same time, the top layer of dead skin, called the stratum corneum, got thinner, showing that vitamin C was helping the skin renew itself.
'Vitamin C seems to influence the structure and function of epidermis, especially by controlling the growth of epidermal cells,' explained biologist Akihito Ishigami.
Moreover, the team studied the genes in these cells and found that vitamin C helped restart genes linked to cell growth by supporting special enzymes that need a certain type of iron to work. Vitamin C helps keep that iron in the right form, which allows the enzymes to stay active and keep the growth genes switched on.
In fact, 12 important cell-growth genes became more active, while some increased upto 75 times. When scientists blocked the enzymes, the effect of vitamin C went away, proving that this pathway is key.
'We found that vitamin C helps thicken the skin by encouraging keratinocyte proliferation through DNA demethylation,' Ishigami commented, 'making it a promising treatment for thinning skin, especially in older adults.'
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