Evidence supporting the use of: Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate)
For the health condition: Age Spots

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Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 2

Vitamin C (including its salt, sodium ascorbate) has some scientific evidence supporting its use for age spots (also known as solar lentigines or hyperpigmentation), but this evidence is modest. Vitamin C is a well-recognized antioxidant and is commonly used in dermatology for its role in skin lightening and photoprotection. Mechanistically, Vitamin C inhibits tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in melanin synthesis, which can help reduce the formation of excess pigment. Clinical studies and reviews have shown that topical Vitamin C formulations can improve hyperpigmentation and even out skin tone, but most of these studies are small in scale, often use Vitamin C in combination with other ingredients, and typically evaluate L-ascorbic acid rather than sodium ascorbate specifically. Oral Vitamin C, including sodium ascorbate, is less well studied for this purpose, and there is little direct evidence demonstrating that oral supplementation alone significantly reduces age spots. Most dermatological benefits are attributed to topical application, where Vitamin C can reach the skin in higher concentrations. Overall, while there is a scientific rationale and some clinical support for Vitamin C's effectiveness in treating age spots when applied topically, the evidence remains limited and not robust enough to warrant a higher rating.

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