Hyaluronic acid plays a crucial role in wound healing by controlling inflammation and redirecting blood flow to damaged tissue. It also promotes skin health and fights signs of aging. HA is a substance that occurs naturally in the joints, eyes, and skin. Primarily, its function is to trap water inside tissue cells, keeping the eyes moist and the joints lubricated.
In general, hyaluronic acid is known for its skin-related benefits. Hyaluronic acid is used as a humectant in skin care products. This substance enables the skin to hold on to water and helps hydrate its outer layers, thereby improving its appearance.
How Does Hyaluronic Acid Work?
Hyaluronic acid belongs to polymers, a type of long, complicated chain-like molecules. The chain has plenty of spots where other chemical compounds (such as water) can latch on. That said, a quarter-teaspoon of hyaluronic acid can hold about one and a half gallons of water. This makes it the best polymer, whether natural or artificial, for absorbing water (moisturizing products’ key ingredient).
Since this provides much space for other molecules to latch on, hyaluronic acid is great for transporting other molecules throughout the body. It also can attach itself to cells, which is why targeted delivery of medications using hyaluronic acid is a major topic of study. Hyaluronic acid’s chain-like structure can act as a scaffold, allowing tissues to grow, which is a key step in how wounds heal in the body.
What Are The Benefits Of Hyaluronic Acid?
While hyaluronic acid is often considered anti-aging or skin hydrating, it also offers plenty of benefits.
Ultimate Hydration
Hyaluronic acid has gained popularity in improving the skin’s hydration levels. As indicated, hyaluronic acid is a humectant, drawing water to it and helping the skin to hold onto water. Applying a topical hyaluronic acid product will help pull moisture from the skin’s deeper layers to infuse the top layers with moisture.
In a humid area, hyaluronic acid can pull water from the air into the skin, which makes its products help reduce transepidermal water loss. This is another saying that it helps keep water in the skin rather than letting it evaporate into the air. Surprisingly, hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water.
Smooth and Radiant Skin
Although HA won’t erase fine lines and wrinkles, the extra moisture does help plump the skin, making those lines look smoother. Also, fine lines around the eyes and lips are often signs of dehydrated skin. Highly moisturized skin looks less wrinkled and dewier.
When using a topical HA product within a week, an increase in skin surface hydration will be visible. While most research shows HA may take six weeks or more to improve skin’s appearance, the anti-wrinkle HA serums and eye creams have been found to start working within 2- 4 weeks of use. Dermatologists are now using prescription injections or formulas containing hyaluronic acids (including Juvéderm Ultra Plus, Restylane, or Allergan) for several months to reduce lip and eye sagginess.
Skin Protectant
According to research, hyaluronic acid may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, even when applied topically. Additionally, hyaluronic acid can promote skin regeneration and help it heal. Moisturizers that contain hyaluronic acid are often recommended after a chemical peel or laser treatment.
Rejuvenates the Face
Although topical hyaluronic acid may not reverse superficial signs of aging, the injectable forms of hyaluronic acid can. Hyaluronic acid can be injected into the skin to help fill deep lines and wrinkles. It is also used to recontour the face to fill out the lips and adds fullness to the cheeks.
Hyaluronic acid’s other benefit when injected is to stimulate the skin to produce more collagen, which means it may have lasting anti-aging benefits.
Sores, Sunburn and Wound Repair
Hyaluronic acid not only reduces aging signs but is also beneficial for treating cold and mouth sores, wounds, ulcers, bites, and burns due to how it keeps damaged tissue moist. Tissue repair benefits also include sunburn relief.
In fact, many cold sore treatments for the lips and mouth contain hyaluronic acid gel to speed up healing and prevent cracking or bleeding. Made partly from collagen and water, hyaluronic acid is part of the mouth and lip’s structural component, composed of connective tissues. That said, collagen and HA help give lips their structure and shape.
Because HA binds to water, it hydrates the skin and tissues within the mouth/lips, keeps skin junctions tight, helps bring nutrients to damaged tissues, controls inflammation, and helps fluids carry out waste.
What Are The Possible Risks Of Hyaluronic Acid?
Notably, this substance rarely causes severe side effects or allergic reactions since the body naturally produces hyaluronic acid. However, those with severe allergic reactions, such as anaphylaxis should be cautious.
Although its effects on pregnant and breastfeeding women remain unknown, it is best to avoid taking hyaluronic acid supplements. In general, anyone can always speak with a doctor about whether hyaluronic acid is suitable for, especially if they are:
- taking prescription medication;
- are receiving treatment for an illness;
- having a chronic health condition.
What Can Habits Improve Natural Hyaluronic Acid?
Hyaluronic acid levels decrease as people age, which may contribute to the physical signs of aging, such as the appearance of wrinkles, and age-related conditions, including osteoarthritis. Although the aging process is inevitable, there are precautions to retain as much natural hyaluronic acid in the skin.
More importantly, healthy habits paired with a proper understanding of hyaluronic acid can reduce the visible effects of aging:
- Up the mineral intake. To increase the natural levels of hyaluronic acid, include more vitamins and minerals in the diet, specifically zinc and magnesium.
- Protect the skin from the sun. The fastest way to skin aging is overexposure to the sun’s rays, which induces undesirable conditions, like wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and sagging skin.
- Eat healthily. To maintain the natural hyaluronic acid high, choose clean foods like fruits, root vegetables, avocados, and nuts since the diet can directly affect the skin’s quality.
- Hydration is key—double the hydration with hyaluronic acid serum and a constant water intake.
The Bottom Line
Well-known for its skin benefits, Hyaluronic acid can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, alleviate dry skin, and speeds up wound healing. ZI BLOOM Aesthetics offers, which uses both Dysport and Xeomin neuromodulators to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Ultimately, these anti-wrinkle injections have numerous off-label uses, including treatment for chin dimples, hyperhidrosis, neckbands, and jawline slimming.