Hyaluronic Acid - A moisture surge for dehydrated skin!
Hyaluronic acid is a moisture magnet - it attracts water from the environment and traps it in your skin. If you’re looking for plump, dewy skin then hyaluronic acid could be your best friend. It is everywhere – in serums, moisturisers, even cleansers – and is the secret weapon to combat dry, dehydrated skin.
So what is it (and how do you even pronounce it)?
Hya-lur-onic acid is a naturally occurring carb (sugar) in our bodies that attracts and holds water. It delivers moisture to parts of our bodies, like our eyes and joints, which require lubrication to function properly. It keeps our skin cells hydrated. It’s why babies have that gorgeous, squishy, plump skin.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a humectant, which means it attracts water from the environment and traps it in our skin. In fact, it can hold 1000x its weight in water. That means that 1 gram of HA of can 6 litres of water. Amazing.
But as we age, hyaluronic acid production depletes (just like all the other good stuff our body produces like collagen and elastin) causing dry, dull, wrinkly skin. Ugh.
But we can combat this deficiency by adding HA into our skincare routine and there are a plethora of products from which to choose.
But it’s not as easy as you might think as not all products are created equally. Pure HA molecules are too large to penetrate our skin so they have to be chemically processed for topical use. There are 2 main types of topical hyaluronic acid available:
1) Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
This process combines HA with water but results in large molecules that only sit on the surface of the skin. While it’s excellent at attracting water and holding on our skin’s surface, it doesn’t penetrate any deeper.
2) Sodium hyaluronate
This is salt form of HA, which has a lower molecular weight, capable of absorbing deeper into the layers of our skin. Delivering hydration at lower levels causes plumping and smoothing of winkles. Hooray. But….it can be drying in some circumstances (see number 2 below).
But all is not rosy in the land of HA, and it’s best to be aware of a few things:
1) It is best to use multi-molecular HA products. Look for those with high molecular weight to lock in moisture on the surface of the skin; mid weight will hydrate the dermal layers and low weight will stimulate body production deep in the skin.
Hada Labo Goku-Jyun Premium Hyaluronic Acid Lotion
Pestle & Mortar Pure Hyaluronic Serum
Kate Somerville DermalQuench Wrinkle Warrior
UK https://bit.ly/33irV64 US https://bit.ly/3jmn5KO
2) Your environment has an impact of effectiveness of these products. Remember, HA is draws moisture from the air and that water has to come from somewhere. If you’re in a humid, tropical climate, HA will be your best friend. But if you live an arid environment then HA will take that moisture from your skin. One way to combat this is with a mist. I’m not joking when I say I spritz about 15 times a day. It’s a thing.
La Roche Posay Toleraine Ultra Face Mist
IE https://bit.ly/37QSjHb
3) You must use moisturiser to seal it in. This final step will provide another layer of moisture on top. Ideally you want to use a product that is water-based.
Cerave PM Facial Moisturising Lotion
UK https://bit.ly/39QBriK US https://bit.ly/2BPatvf
4) You must wear sunscreen. This is a no-brainer and yes, I’m a broken record. It must be broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) and at least SPF 30. These are my favourites and they’re in constantly rotation.
Make:Prem UV Defense Me Blue Ray Sun Fluid
UK https://amzn.to/2WEmISC US https://amzn.to/39acwq1
Elta MD UV Daily Tinted Broad Spectrum SPF40
UK https://amzn.to/3kzAtfg US https://amzn.to/2CSIz1G
Trinny BFF Cream SPF 30
If you don’t use any hyaluronic acid in your skincare routine, you should consider adding it in. In fact, you may be surprised to find it’s already in some of your favourite products – check the INCI list (ingredient list) on the back of the box. Go forth and hydrate!
