Hyaluronic acid is perhaps one of the most famous beauty ingredients. Even people far from the beauty industry have heard of it. However, knowledge about hyaluronic acid is often limited to the fact that it reduces wrinkles. In reality, everything is not so simple.
What is hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is the most versatile "beauty molecule". It was discovered in 1934 by Carl Meyer and his assistant John Palmer.
Hyaluronic acid is found in bones, connective tissue, cartilage, hair follicles and skin. At the same time, almost half of hyaluronic acid is found in the skin, where it, acting like a magnet, binds to water, slowing down its evaporation rate and helping the cells retain moisture. Just 1g of hyaluronic acid has an impressive ability to hold up to 6L of water. Add to this the ability to regulate cellular moisture levels and you have a phenomenal cellular component. It allows the skin to maintain a high level of moisture, remain elastic and healthy.
Thus, hyaluronic acid has three main effects:
- anti aging;
- moisturizing;
- wound healing.
Hyaluronic acid can be destroyed by free radicals under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, tobacco smoke and polluted environment.
How to understand that your skin needs hyaluronic acid
After 25 years, skin cells produce less hyaluronic acid. This occurs due to a slowing down of the cells' ability to divide and retain moisture. Dehydrated skin has an uneven structure, is dotted with fine wrinkles and looks dull.
In order for the skin to remain soft, elastic and radiant, from the age of 25 you can include creams and preparations with hyaluronic acid in your daily care, and after the age of 30, hyaluronic serum.
Hyaluronic acid supplements
If there is a lack of hyaluronic acid, it is recommended to take appropriate supplements. Research has shown that taking 120-240 mg of hyaluronic acid per day for at least a month significantly improves skin hydration and reduces dryness. Food supplements with hyaluronic acid can be taken from the age of 20.
Why don't hyaluronic acid products work?
If the skin is sufficiently hydrated, products containing hyaluronic acid can accumulate after application, which means that there is no need to use this component at this time.
If after using a cream or serum with hyaluronic acid there is a feeling of a film on the skin, then the skin does not need hyaluronic acid.
What type of skin are products with hyaluronic acid suitable for?
There are three main skin types:
- normal;
- dry;
- greasy.
Skin of any type can experience conditions of dehydration and sensitivity. That is, both oily and normal skin can be dehydrated. It is important not to confuse dehydration with dry skin type. The cause of dry skin is a lack of lipids, not water.
What names can hyaluronic acid have on the packaging?
Hyaluronic acid has the following names:
- hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid;
- acetylated hyaluronate;
- sodium hyaluronate;
- sodium salts of hyaluronic acid.
Which skin care products contain hyaluronic acid
Serums
They have a light texture, minimal composition and are characterized by the highest concentration of hyaluronic acid. In addition, the texture of the serum allows the hyaluronic acid to penetrate the skin faster. It is best to use a combination of large and small molecules for immediate hydration of the upper layer of the skin and longer lasting effects on the lower epidermis.
How to properly use hyaluronic acid serum
It is very important to apply hyaluronic acid serum correctly. The fact is that if you apply a serum with hyaluronic acid to dry skin in a humid room without applying a cream afterwards, the serum will draw moisture from the air and create a feeling of tightness without drying out the face. If the skin is hydrated and the room is dry, the hyaluronic acid present on the surface of the face will draw water from the skin and evaporate it into the air, creating a feeling of dryness.
That is why it is important to apply the hyaluronic acid serum to slightly damp skin - you can spray your face with thermal water or dry it completely with a towel, and immediately apply a moisturizing cream after the serum in order to "seal" the hyaluronic acid into the skin. In this way, the hydration effect willbe maximal This scheme is suitable for any skin type.
Cleaning products
Syndents with sodium hyaluronate will help remove make-up, dirt and excess sebum. The product is applied to wet skin and then washed off.
Lotion with sodium hyaluronate
It can be used for both face and body.
Gel with sodium hyaluronate
The gel should be applied to the skin until it is completely absorbed.
Face cream
Hyaluronic acid is a "team player" that works best in combination with a cream.
What are the side effects of using hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid is perhaps the most harmless ingredient for the skin in terms of side effects. Since hyaluronic acid is a normal part of the skin, an allergic reaction to it is very rare.
The use of this acid, unlike glycolic, salicylic and others, is not aimed at renewing the epidermis, but at moisturizing and maintaining the skin's hydrolipidic layer. Therefore, it does not "expose" the skin and does not cause redness. Its use when applied topically does not stimulate skin peeling processes.
If side effects appear after using a product containing hyaluronic acid, you should pay attention to the composition of the product - allergies to other ingredients may occur. This reaction may be the result of using too high a concentration of hyaluronic acid. Therefore, to avoid irritation or dryness, it is recommended to avoid hyaluronic acid concentrations above 2%.
It's also wise to do a preliminary "patch test" - apply a small amount of any new product to the back of your wrist and assess for side effects for 24 hours. If you experience any side effects after using hyaluronic acid, consult a dermatologist.
During pregnancy or breastfeeding, the use of external preparations containing hyaluronic acid is safe.
What should hyaluronic acid be?
The benefits of hyaluronic acid directly depend on its molecular weight and concentration. The diameter of the hyaluronic acid is also important because it determines the ability of the ingredient to penetrate the skin.
Molecular weight is measured in so-called atomic mass units - daltons or kDa. Hyaluronic acid with a weight of 50 to 1000 kDa is the most beneficial for the skin; a weight of about 130 kDa is considered optimal. Exceeding this indicator has no qualitative significance.
Why does the 130 kDa weight have the greatest effect?
In one study, researchers evaluated the skin effects of hyaluronic acid with different molecular weights, including 50, 130, 300, 800, and 2000 kDa. A month after they started using topical preparations with different weight of acid, experts found that using 130 kDa was the most effective - skin elasticity increased by 20%. Both the 50 kDa group and the 130 kDa group experienced significant reductions in wrinkle depth and skin roughness after 60 days. All other molecular weights also increase the elasticity and hydration of the skin, but to a lesser extent.
What components does hyaluronic acid combine well with?
If you are looking for a pair of ingredients for optimal skin care, choose hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. They complement each other and promote maximum hydration, protection and renewal of the skin.
There is another reason why these ingredients work well together - too much vitamin C can cause irritation, dry skin and even acne, and hyaluronic acid not only soothes and repairs the skin, helps create a moisture barrier, but also acts as an excellent messenger, delivering vitamin C to the cells.
Other medical benefits of hyaluronic acid
In addition to its excellent cosmetic effect in skin care, sodium hyaluronate has other medical indications for use.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint
Hyaluronic acid is found in joint fluid and cartilage. However, in osteoarthritis, sodium hyaluronate levels in the joints become low. Injection of sodium hyaluronate can help with osteoarthritis of the knee. The drug is injected directly into the knee and helps reduce pain in this area.
Eye surgery
Sodium hyaluronate drops are useful in procedures such as:
- cornea transplant surgery;
- correction of glaucoma;
- secondary intraocular lens implantation;
- cataract surgery.
Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and moisturizing effects, sodium hyaluronate reduces dry eyes that can occur after surgery.
Nasal spray with sodium hyaluronate
This product is effective for moisturizing and regenerating the mucous membrane of the sinuses.
Hyaluronic acid injections
Injectable wrinkle fillers can provide a lifted appearance to the skin in a more gentle way than a traditional facelift. Most fillers, or fillers, fill in hollows, lines and wrinkles in less than 30 minutes and provide results that can last 4 months to a year.
What effect do the injections have?
The scope of application of hyaluronic acid gel is wide:
- smoothing wrinkles
- lip augmentation
- facial contour modeling
- intensive hydration of the skin
The most popular category of wrinkle fillers is hyaluronic acid. Each type of medicine works differently and gives different results.
Side effects
Side effects from these injections are rare, but may include:
- redness;
- edema;
- bruising at the injection site.
The filler may also appear under the skin as small lumps, but this will disappear within a day.
If you are taking blood thinners, the injection site will bleed longer and may cause slight bruising.
What you need to know before injecting hyaluronic acid
- You should not be guided solely by the cost of the procedure.
- If you are offered wrinkle correction at a significantly lower price, it is possible that the workmanship or quality of the product leaves much to be desired.
- The procedure must be performed exclusively in a medical center.
- Procedures must be performed exclusively in a medical environment, regardless of who performs them.
- Always ask for the name of the medicine.
- Before the injection, the specialist must announce the name of the medicine and show how to open a new package. If the specialist does not provide this information, it is better to refuse the procedure.
Use sunscreen daily. This will help prolong the effect of the filler and protect against post-inflammatory pigment changes that may occur at the injection site.
Special precautions when performing hyaluronic acid injections
Pregnancy
There is no data confirming the safety of hyaluronic acid injections during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding
There is also no data yet on the safety of hyaluronic acid injections during breastfeeding and their effect on the child.
Associated visible skin diseases
The use of hyaluronic acid can worsen the condition of the skin in people with scleroderma. With this pathology, the local use of products with hyaluronic acid is inappropriate.
How is the injection of hyaluronic acid performed?
Hyaluronic acid is injected under the skin with a thin needle in small amounts. Depending on the sensitivity to pain and the injection site, it is possible to apply an anesthetic cream beforehand or use local anesthesia in the form of an injection of anesthetic into the skin. When a local anesthetic is used, the anesthetic effect occurs within 2-3 minutes.
On which parts of the face are hyaluronic acid injections applied?
- glabellar lines in combination with botulinum toxin;
- nasolabial lines and "marionette lines";
- small wrinkles around the mouth and lips.
It should be remembered that superficial or very deep wrinkles are difficult to treat. In these cases, the doctor may recommend a combination of hyaluronic acid gel with another drug and subsequent selection of skin care.
How long does the hyaluronic acid injection procedure take?
The procedure lasts 15-60 minutes. However, since the lip area is much smaller compared to other injection areas, the duration of work on it is also shorter.
How long does the effect of hyaluronic acid treatment last?
Duration of action varies from patient to patient and depends on many factors, including lifestyle, skin type, age and injection technique. For example, after lip augmentation, at least six months must pass before the next drug injection.
With which skin care treatments can hyaluronic acid be combined?
Hyaluronic acid combines with most other ingredients, including peels, retinols, vitamins and other acids. The only exception is acids with a low pH level, such as glycolic acid, because they can inhibit the action of hyaluronic acid and significantly reduce its effectiveness.
What to do after injecting fillers at home
- Avoid massaging or rubbing the treated areas for the first 48 hours after the treatment.
- For the first eight hours after the procedure, you should not unnecessarily touch the treated areas of the face. Later you can wash your face with soap and apply light makeup.
- Until the initial redness and swelling subsides, extreme heating of the skin (solators and tanning beds) and hypothermia should be avoided.
Is it possible to remove hyaluronic acid after the treatment?
no. If you are not satisfied with the result, you can gradually carry out the treatment until the desired effect is achieved.
What is biorevitalization?
Biorevitalization is a form of mesotherapy using higher concentrations of hyaluronic acid. It should not be confused with filler, which acts as a wrinkle filler and does not provide nutrients to the skin.
Biorevitalization can be used on the neck, décolleté, arms, hands and areas around the knees.
The main goal of the therapy is to fill the skin with hyaluronic acid, which stimulates the natural production of collagen, hyaluronic acid and active metabolism under the skin, which contributes to its rejuvenation.
For this, purified hyaluronic acid of non-animal origin is injected into the skin. This means that it is synthesized from bacteriological strains of streptococcus, is completely organic for the human body and does not cause unwanted reactions. This method of skin rejuvenation is considered easier than other cosmetic procedures, but no less effective.
Biorevitalization is recommended after 25-30 years, when the amount of native hyaluronic acid begins to decrease significantly, and the skin intensively loses moisture. This leads to a loss of tone and elasticity, increased dryness and a tendency to inflammation. The result is visible already after the first procedure, but for an ideal effect it is necessary to undergo a course of treatment.
What is mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy is the rejuvenation of tired tissue. The main goal of the technique is to enrich the skin with useful substances and nutrients. Thanks to injections, this process goes deeper and more intensively than when using creams and masks. Depending on the goals of the correction, the doctor chooses a ready-made solution or composes it individually, taking into account the characteristics of the patient's body.
Components of mesotherapy can be:
- hyaluronic acid;
- vitamin and mineral complexes;
- amino acids, antioxidants;
- peptides;
- phytoextracts.
The procedure is performed with very thin needles. Mesotherapy has a long-lasting effect already after the first injection and allows solving a whole range of problems. It is aimed at improving the general condition of the skin, normalizing microcirculation in cells and intercellular space, increasing tissue elasticity and removing various aesthetic defects. The youth and freshness of the skin lasts up to ten months and can be maintained by re-injection.
What to choose - mesotherapy or biorevitalization
There is no clear answer. Injections for biorevitalization contain only hyaluronic acid, which is primarily necessary for moisturizing and restoring damaged tissues.
Mesotherapy cocktails are a whole complex of biologically active components that have a complex effect on tissues and can solve several aesthetic problems at once.
Mesotherapy will also help where there are specific problems, such as:
- dark circles and bags under the eyes;
- cellulite;
- hair loss;
- scars.
Mesotherapy includes both superficial injection of drugs to a depth of 2 mm and deep puncture.
Thus, for patients aged 30 years and older, mesotherapy is optimal, which is especially relevant when solving cosmetic problems associated with acne and scars, and biorevitalization will be the best option for patients older than 25 years.