We’ll get straight to the purpose: The advantages of hyaluronic acid are simple, so if it’s not but a part of your skincare routine, you’re lacking out. And in the event you’re just a little intimidated by the phrase “acid,” don’t fear; not like alpha- or beta-hydroxy acids, hyaluronic acid isn’t a chemical exfoliant. Moderately, it’s a (very efficient) hydrating ingredient—one that may be mixed with a wide range of different actives and is secure and efficient for just about everybody.
In brief, there’s a motive it is beloved by dermatologists and you actually can’t go incorrect through the use of it. That stated, there are positively methods to maximise its moisturizing potential. Right here, SELF requested consultants to clarify what hyaluronic acid is, the way it can enhance your pores and skin well being, and the most effective methods to include it into your routine.
What’s hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid (or HA, because the cool children name it) is a sort of sugar that your physique makes naturally: “It’s a long-chain carbohydrate current in our physique and our pores and skin,” Emily Newsom, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Middle, tells SELF. It’s additionally current in plenty of nooks and crannies—like between muscle fibers, in connective tissue, and within the fluid-filled sacs lubricating and cushioning your joints—however the largest focus of HA is discovered within the pores and skin.1
It’s additionally the energetic ingredient in injectable dermal fillers like Restylane and Juvéderm due to its innate plumping talents, which translate when it’s utilized topically through over-the-counter skincare merchandise, too. “Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, that means it attracts water to and retains it within the pores and skin,” Ryan Turner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York Metropolis, tells SELF.1 (And loads of H2O at that: Hyaluronic acid can maintain as much as 1,000 occasions its weight in water.)2 Consider it like a sponge; because it pulls in moisture and absorbs it, it puffs up, serving to to each hydrate and plump the pores and skin. Because of this, your complexion seems smoother and extra vibrant, and high-quality strains could also be much less noticeable, Dr. Turner says.
What are the principle advantages of hyaluronic acid?
We simply touched on the large one—holding pores and skin critically hydrated. Its different declare to fame is that, regardless of these hardcore moisturizing results, hyaluronic acid continues to be a really light-weight ingredient that doesn’t really feel heavy or greasy. That’s a part of the explanation why anybody and everybody can—and will—think about using it, in line with the consultants we consulted.
Hyaluronic acid merchandise are nice for just about each pores and skin sort, Dr. Newsom says, including that it may be significantly helpful for people with acne-prone or mixture pores and skin (oily in some components; dry in others) who’re in search of a extremely moisturizing product that isn’t too thick or occlusive (pore-clogging). Nonetheless, as a result of it attracts water, it may be useful for dry pores and skin, too, significantly when mixed with thicker moisturizers (like eye lotions), she says.