Role of Vitamin C in Skin Diseases
Open accessAbstract
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) plays an important role in maintaining skin health and can promote the differentiation of keratinocytes and decrease melanin synthesis, leading to antioxidant protection against UV-induced photodamage. Normal skin needs high concentrations of vitamin C, which plays many roles in the skin, including the formation of the skin barrier and collagen in the dermis, the ability to counteract skin oxidation, and the modulation of cell signal pathways of cell growth and differentiation. However, vitamin C deficiency can cause or aggravate the occurrence and development of some skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis (AD) and porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT). Levels of vitamin C in plasma are decreased in AD, and vitamin C deficiency may be one of the factors that contributes to the pathogenesis of PCT. On the other hand, high doses of vitamin C have significantly reduced cancer cell viability, as well as invasiveness, and induced apoptosis in human malignant melanoma. In this review, we will summarize the effects of vitamin C on four skin diseases (porphyria cutanea tarda, atopic dermatitis, malignant melanoma, and herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia) and highlight the potential of vitamin C as a therapeutic strategy to treat these diseases, emphasizing the clinical application of vitamin C as an adjuvant for drugs or physical therapy in other skin diseases.
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Vitamin C promotes the formation of the epidermal barrier and collagen in the dermis, protects against skin oxidation, helps to counteract skin ageing, and plays a role in signaling pathways of cell growth and differentiation linked to various skin diseases.
“Vitamin C promotes the formation of the epidermal barrier and collagen in the dermis, protects against skin oxidation, helps to counteract skin ageing, and plays a role in the signaling pathways of cell growth and differentiation, which are linked to the occurrence of various skin diseases [55,56].”
From Bioactive Compounds for Skin Health: A Review (2021) · cites this paper as [56]
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References 102 · Cited by 158
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Choi Y. K. Rho Y. K. Yoo K. H. Lim Y. Y. Li K. Kim B. J. (2010b). Effects of vitamin C vs. multivitamin on melanogenesis: comparative study in vitro and in vivo. Pharmacol. Ther. 49 218– 226. 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2009.04336.x 20465650 · DOI · Paper page
- Ponec M. Weerheim A. Kempenaar J. Mulder A. Gooris G. S. Bouwstra J. (1997b). The formation of competent barrier lipids in reconstructed human epidermis requires the presence of vitamin C. J. Invest. Dermatol. 109 348– 355. 9284103
- Authors
- Wang, K., Jiang, H., Li, W., Qiang, M., Dong, T., & Li, H.
- Affiliations
- First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (CN)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Li, Hongbin
- Venue
- Frontiers in Physiology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2018-07-04
- Volume
- 9
- Pages
- 819-819
- ISSN
- 1664-042X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6040229
- OpenAlex
- W2808504082
- Cited by
- 158
- References
- 102
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 0.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Frontiers in Physiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Kunming Medical University
- Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Vitamin C and Antioxidants Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Skin Protection and Aging
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
- Keywords
- vitamin C, skin diseases, atopic dermatitis, porphyria cutanea tarda, melanoma, herpes zoster, postherpetic neuralgia, keratinocyte differentiation, melanogenesis, skin barrier, collagen, scurvy, antioxidant defense, apoptosis, adjuvant therapy
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