Hyaluronic Acid: Reasons You Need To Use It In Your Skin Care Routine
Hyaluronic acid gets talked about a lot in the media. All the hype makes sense because it is a phenomenal aid in skin care and can give you great visible results while boosting the health of the skin. Before we dive into all the amazing benefits of this anti aging and hydrating ingredient, lets get to know what it is.
Hyaluronic acid is a sugar naturally found in our skin and body that contributes to a plump youthful appearance and is an incredible hydrator for our skin. In fact, hyaluronic acid can hold between 600 – 1000 times its weight in water making it a great humectant. Think of it like a water sponge for your skin. Every skin type can experience dehydration, which is different from a dry skin. People with dry, sensitive skin may experience dehydration but so may oily, acne prone skin as well as maturing skin. This makes HA a universally loved compound for anyone looking to improve their skin.
Hyaluronic acid unfortunately, like many components of our skin, slowly decreases with age which can cause hydration and structural issues. It is important to eat food high in antioxidants to fight off inflammation within the skin leading to damage and an inability to properly retain this super hydrator. This makes it now particularly important for us to now infuse it into our skin care routines to help delay the chronological aging process.
Hydration
Like mentioned above, HA is a phenomenal hydrator. Most will have experienced dehydrated skin at one point or another. This can leave our skin looking dull, with and uneven texture and give our skin the appearance of crepe paper. Dehydration in our skin can occur from a wide variety of common factors. It may be you have had prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures through the climate or internal air and heating, prolonged hot baths or showers, especially without the use of a water softener, smoking, excess drinking or caffeine, illness as well as simply not drinking enough water. These are circumstances that most of us may experience on a regular basis and can leave our skin looking quite lackluster.
With HA being such a natural component of our skin, our bodies can recognize it and absorb and utilize it very efficiently as long as the molecular structure sizing is correct. By using a HA serum daily, we can significantly boost the water content of our skin, combating dehydration because the HA is able to bind water to our skin cells. This will lead to a much plumper appearance to help rejuvenate the look of our skin.
Improve Tone & Texture
Having a more firm or tight tone to your skin can come from a variety of factors. Often, we look to and discuss key structural components in the skin such as collagen and elastin. Hyaluronic acid can’t replace those all-important structures, but it is important to remember how important HA is and how it can help with general firming of the skin. HA is a component of something called ground substance, which provides lubrication for collagen fibres as well as support for many cells and structures within the skin, Additionally, when HA is noticeably present your skin will fill with more moisture as it attracts water from the surrounding atmosphere as well as other skin care products (like toners). The more your skin gets filled and plumped up with hydration, the complexion will begin to look more tightened. A common texture issue people worry of is the crepe paper like appearance of a water depleted skin, so boosting hydration levels will even out texture and tone to give the appearance of a more youthful skin.
Minimize Fine Lines and Wrinkles
We have talked a lot about HA and its plumping abilities, and in conjunction with the plumping action it works hand in hand with reducing the look of fine lines forming as we begin the aging process. Keep thinking of it like lifting from underneath. The more water that gets absorbed into the skin, the more room it will take up and therefore start to plump and lift the skin. This will inherently reduce the look of fine lines as we are now fighting against the concaving in action of the skin layers folding downwards by pushing, or plumping, the skin back up towards the surface. Using an eye serum with HA in it is a fabulous idea for people particularly beginning in the mid 30s, where signs of aging start to show as the eye areas generally show the first signs of fine line formation. Whether you are in your 20s or into your 80s, it is never too early to start taking care of your skin and focus on pre-juvenation.
Strengthens the Lipid Barrier
Our lipid barrier is crucial and a key defence mechanism in your skin. It is made up of fatty acids and helps keep the outer layer of your skin intact as well as fight against daily stressors that can cause harm to your skin like pollution, UV rays and free radical damage. All of these and many other factors cause damage and inflammation within the skin which will accelerate the aging process. Your skins barrier essentially acts like a bodyguard to protect the underlying layers. Hyaluronic acid can help your lipid barrier become stronger and more resilient while also helping it reduce the amount of water loss from the skin that can occur from and impaired barrier. Using this in conjunction with products containing vitamin C, retinoids and certain acids/peels can boost desired effects as hyaluronic acid pairs well with many other commonly used skin care ingredients.
So this one ingredient can help protect skin, hydrate, diminish the look of fine lines, and give a more rejuvenated appearance to the texture and tone of the skin. There is something for everyone. Many skin care specialists are also discovering more innovative ways to use this ingredient to boost the effects, maximizing results for you.
In terms of using hyaluronic acid in skin care, it is beneficial for use in creams but even more predominately, serums. My favorite combination is to pair a serum containing HA with a toner to help immediately boost the hydration content in the skin. Making sure to pick a professional serum to ensure you get a high-quality product, where the molecular structure of the HA will get you optimal penetration is key. There is a right way and a wrong way to use hyaluronic acid in your daily routine. Discuss options with your skin care specialist as they will be able to navigate products for you and find one that will be the best fit for your skin and surrounding environment.