Vitamin C may help rejuvenate aging skin by switching on dormant genes involved in cell renewal, research shows.
Vitamin C doesn’t just protect skin—it can reverse aging at the genetic level by switching on youth-promoting genes that have been silenced over time.
An April study suggests that vitamin C works far beyond its well-known role as an immune booster and antioxidant. Instead, it acts as a genetic switch that can reverse fundamental aging processes in skin cells.
“This opens the door to developing new skin care products or therapeutic approaches aimed at mitigating age-related skin decline,” Akihito Ishigami, lead study author and vice president of the Division of Biology and Medical Sciences at Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, told The Epoch Times.
The DNA Discovery
Researchers found that vitamin C helps skin cells grow by activating genes involved in skin renewal. As people age, some of their genes can be suppressed through a process called DNA methylation.
When DNA is methylated, it essentially silences genes. Vitamin C is involved in a process that reverses the suppression, allowing skin-renewal genes to become active again.
“VC [vitamin C] is not merely an antioxidant, it plays a critical role in regulating genes involved in skin regeneration,” Ishigami said. “Our research highlights its importance as a functional factor for skin health.”
The scientists identified more than 10,000 areas in DNA that became less methylated after vitamin C treatment, resulting in a 75-fold increase in the activity of 12 key genes involved in cell growth.
In the study, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, researchers used specialized lab-grown skin models that closely mimic human skin.
Researchers applied vitamin C at levels similar to those naturally found in blood. After just seven days, the inner layer of skin cells became noticeably thicker. By the second week, the results were even more pronounced. The inner layer was even thicker, and the outer layer was thinner, suggesting more skin cells were dividing and growing. This was confirmed by more cells showing a marker called Ki-67, which indicates active cell division.
“VC seems to influence the structure and function of the epidermis, especially by controlling the growth of epidermal cells,” Ishigami said.
Vitamin C helps thicken the skin by encouraging the proliferation of keratinocytes, the main cells found in the outermost layer of skin, making it a promising treatment for thinning skin, especially in older adults, he noted.
