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TIL using too much vitamin C serum wrecked my client's skin barrier
Had a regular client come in with red, stinging skin after she started using a 20% L-ascorbic acid serum twice a day. Turns out the pH was way too low for her sensitive skin and she was basically giving herself a chemical burn every morning. Had to tell her to cut back to every other day and buffer it with moisturizer first. Anyone else deal with clients overdoing the active ingredients?
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simonh746d ago
You mentioned "chemical burn every morning" - that's exactly what it is, just happening slowly over time. People forget vitamin C is an acid and treat it like gentle toner.
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riley_taylor6d ago
Simonh74 nailed it. People see "serum" and think it's a soft product but L-ascorbic acid at 20% is basically a chemical peel in a bottle if your skin isn't ready for it. The real question is how do we get people to actually patch test or check pH first before going all in? I tell clients to start with 10% and work up if they even need that much. Most people don't need that high of a concentration anyway. Did you notice any long term pigmentation changes or scarring after she stopped using it?
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