Hyaluronic acid is a phrase you will hear a lot of in the coming months if you are into beauty and skincare. As the world becomes even more obsessed with health and longevity and we actively avoid putting chemicals into our bodies, we are starting to look into our bodies for solutions.
What then is hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in the human body, mostly in the fluids in our eyes and spaces between our joints. Primarily working as a lubricant in our joints and tissues, hyaluronic acid is the reason your eyeballs are so slippery and prevents joint damage. Since the early 1940’s, there has been a lot of research around the actual properties of this substance and even the Food and Drug Association of the United States has approved using it during eye surgeries to remove cataracts and tumors. No need to start worrying about hyaluronic acid harvesters just yet, our supply of Hyaluronic Acid is gotten from bacteria in laboratories.
Hyaluronic acid is particularly important to dermatologists and skincare enthusiasts because of its ability to retain moisture. That’s right, some dermatologists even suggest it can carry up to 1,000 times its weight in water so it can easily be wiped or washed off.
Advances in science have solved that problem and now hyaluronic acid has found even more uses; many lip and face fillers are starting to replace botox with hyaluronic acid, the effects don’t last as long, but at least you are not voluntarily injecting yourself with a known poison. Some people apply it to their skin for healing wounds, burns, skin ulcers and as a moisturiser.
A lot of people also believe (falsely) that hyaluronic acid prevents the effects of aging. In fact, many beauty junkies have proclaimed it the fountain of youth. Well, it’s not. It might give you the illusion of less wrinkles, but you might have to look somewhere else to take them completely away.
Products containing hyaluronic acid can be pricey. You can use H.A (that’s what everyone calls it) by injecting it through your skin, or as pills but we would suggest you use it the most potent way- on your skin.
The best topical form of HA is in a serum—to be applied on clean, bare and ideally damp or even wet skin as the first step in your skincare regimen. The wetness will help it trap and lock in the most water. One great thing about HA is that it’s super-light and watery, which is a great benefit for anyone with acne-prone skin who is averse to creamy/oily moisturisers. You can also use them as lip stains, moisturisers and night creams.
These are some of our favourite hyaluronic acid products.
