Can I make Vitamin C serum out of tablets?

[cj123]

I bought some 1000mg Vitamin C ascorbic acid tablets for internal use, but the acid is too much for my stomach and I have to use a buffered form instead. Now I've been left with a whole bottle of pills and I thought maybe I can turn this into a serum instead of throwing them away. So I put one pill between wax paper and used a rolling pin to roll and pound into a fine powder.

I then boiled some water and put that into a small dark glass bottle with a dropper that I already had. I let that cool down a bit and then put in the Vit C powder and shook it up quite a bit. There are no white particles at all and it has a thick serum consistency. Will this work as well as your vitamin C powder? Was using hot water ok since it seems to dissolve particles easier than cold water or will this kill the beneficial ingredients in Vit C?

Also these pills have some added ingredients: Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, silica gel and rose hip extract. Will these added ingredients interfere with the action of the Vit C?

Thanks for any help 

[SarahVaughter]

This question is off-topic because it's not a support question about our products.

I refer to rule #1 in our forum rules:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/forum-rules/

[cj123]

With all due respect Sarah, yes this is a question about your products. I am a customer of yours who has bought several of your products. My question is to determine if it's best to buy your Vitamin C powder now or if I can temporarily use my Vitamin C pills so I don't have to waste the pills. Keep in mind that the Vitamin C pills that I bought are more expensive than your powder and I would be highly unlikely to spend more money on buying them again if I can get your Vit C for cheaper. I only wanted to know if I can use them in the same way.

[SarahVaughter]

I disagree, and please remember that any time I spend commenting on products we don't sell, I have less time to spend on answering questions about products we do sell. But since you insist:

It is really difficult to answer your question because vit. C has to have a low pH to be able to penetrate the skin and I do not know how the added ingredients affected the pH. Our vit. C is pure ascorbic acid. Your vit. C has added ingredients and some may enhance oral penetration but they can also decrease topical penetration. For example, sodium bicarbonate enhances the oral absorption of vit. C but it decreases its topical penetration.
 
You would have to ask the manufacturer of your pills whether it is suitable for topical penetration. As I said before, I can't be expected to know everything about every product out there, neither can I be expected to put in the research required and write up the answer. Again, I am sorry but the alternative is to close this forum.
 
But you could for example use your pills in freshly made salads, to prevent the oxidation of vegetables. Dissolve a pill in a little water and add it to your salad, together with dressing. I routinely add vit. C to my salads.
 
You can of course use it on your skin but I cannot guarantee it will penetrate. I just don't know - it's not our product.
 
If you split your pill and take a half or a quarter, your stomach will likely be able to handle it. There is no need to take 1 g in one go.

[cj123]

Thanks for your informative reply Sarah. You have a lot of knowledge and I never thought you would have to put research into this so I apologize for that. I was going to order the Vit C powder today but then saw you need a minimum $15 order and my dermarollers are still sharp, so next time I place an order for a new one I'll order some Vit C powder to go with that.