Hyaluronic  Acid

LAST UPDATED: DEC 25, 2022 / By Nura / IngredientsLibrary

Hyaluronic acid is a natural occurring ingredient in the body. It is found in the intercellular spaces such as bones and cartilage, connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments, and fluids surrounding cells such as lips area. Hyaluronic acid mainly acts as a cushion for our joints, nerves and skin.

When we get older, it starts to breakdown and gets depleted from the skin which can lead to wrinkles, reduced skin hydration, and loss of elasticity. Because of that, topical creams that contain hyaluronic acid are often used to replace our natural produced hyaluronic acid and improving the skin barrier function.

Due to its binding properties where other molecules can latch on and fast absorbing characteristic, hyaluronic acid is really great at transporting other molecules throughout your body especially through the skin as you lose less product.

This multifunctional ingredient has been used in skin aging treatments for centuries. It is now being used in a wide array of products such as creams and serums because it is able to penetrate the skin easily which gives it a number of benefits that are not offered by other ingredients.

Hyaluronic acid has many benefits for both men and women over the age of thirty and above. Hyaluronic acid can lock in moisture and provide long lasting hydration for your skin and includes plumping, moisturizing, fine lines and wrinkle treatment, elasticity, and redness reduction for the skin.

Hyaluronic acid serum can be applied as often as needed to your face, neck or other areas of concern mostly twice a day for morning and night time skin routine as it is non-irritating. This can make your complexion appear smoother and plump.

It has a high capability to bind water to collagen, trapping it under skin epidermis layer, which makes it an excellent moisturizer ingredient. This substance can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water so it’s a great way to keep your skin hydrated while it also reduced the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by plumping up your skin’s look.

Hyaluronic acid has also been used on eczema patients to help relieve symptoms due to its moisturizing and lightening effects on redness. People with eczema often benefit from using this serum because it can help replenish lost moisture and make the skin less sensitive.

High molecular weight hyaluronic acid works as an anti-inflammatory agent, likely to create a film on skin surface, but at the same time it can be immunosuppressive.

Low molecular weight of hyaluronic acid or also known as Sodium Hyaluronate may lead to proinflammatory molecule. Meanwhile, low molecular weight of 5 kDA Hyaluronic Acid capable of penetrating the skin and potentially carry other ingredients deeply into the skin. This also can include chemicals, and bacteria. The lower the molecular weight, the penetration rate will be much better.

The range of molecular weight hyaluronic acid that beneficial to the skin are between 50 to 1,000 kDa with 130 kDA being the optimal figure. This 130kDA molecular wight can:

+ improve skin elasticity by 20%

+ increased moisture retention

+ increased elasticity

+ reduce wrinkles appearance

+ penetrate better into the skin layer; and all these factors can be achieved if you wear it consistently for at least 60 days.

The right molecular weight of hyaluronic acid can be used for skin with rosacea concern since it will be super hydrating and does not behave like any other type of acid that may bring stinginess to the skin.

Higher concentration Hyaluronic Acid can work as aging treatment and increase skin hydration. If the solution contains more than 4% of sodium hyaluronate, it might dry out your skin so be cautious when purchasing hyaluronic acid especially for sensitive skin user.

Lower concentration Hyaluronic Acid mainly work as humectant to draw in and hold onto moisture that were collected. This can fortify skin’s natural barrier, lock in moisture and leads to moist and even skin tone with lasting hydration.

There are 3 types of hyaluronic acid that were designed for three different types of skin:

1. Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, for oily or combination skin mostly present in water or gel-based products.
2. Sodium hyaluronate for normal skin
3. Sodium acetylated hyaluronate for dry skin user especially the ones that line in dry climates such as desert or dry winter months. Mostly present in oil-based products.

The best way to apply hyaluronic acid serum is by rubbing it into damp skin after exfoliating, cleansing, toning and before sunscreen.

Hyaluronic Acid is available to purchase over-the-counter and it works well with:

• Retinol, Vitamin C, Vitamin B5, AHAs such as glycolic acid and BHAs

Hyaluronic Acid might not work well with:

• Alcohol, such as Isopropyl alcohol as it counteracts hyaluronic acid moisturizing function.

Takeaway

Hyaluronic acid has been used for many purposes in the past few decades including wrinkle treatment, improve elasticity of skin tissue, reduce redness due to eczema or inflammation, muscle repair, and now even aging skin restoration.

Apart from this, Hyaluronic Acid also can be consumed orally such as dietary supplements, eye drops, inhaler or injected into the body to treat wounds or as a joint lubricant.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]