Today, I want to tell you about one of my favorite skin care ingredients (besides Vitamin C and Retin-A). Today, let’s talk about hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, meaning it attracts water, and replenishes our skin’s moisture content. In my last post, I mentioned that skincare trends come and go and new buzzwords are created to promote those. Well let me tell you that hyaluronic acid is a buzzword that’s worth the hype!
Hyaluronic acid is very important for the health of our skin as it holds water and therefore hydrates our skin. Like most things, our hyaluronic acid levels decrease as we age which can lead to dry skin, loss of elasticity and more pronounced wrinkles. I don’t know about you…but I’m fighting hard to keep those wrinkles away!
You can find hyaluronic acid in a number of products. Cleansers, moisturizers, and serums. You may see it listed in the ingredient list as Sodium Hyaluronate. I prefer hyaluronic acid in the serum form because those molecules are small enough to penetrate the skin. Using it in other forms is not harmful but those products do not penetrate the epidermis. You wash cleansers off the skin and moisturizers just sit on top of the skin. Another great thing about hyaluronic acid is that it’s tolerated by most skin types because it’s something our bodies make naturally. It’s best when used on a consistent basis because our body breaks down hyaluronic acid every 48 hours or so.
Hyaluronic acid can be used in the morning and/or at night, depending on your level of dryness. When incorporating this rockstar of an ingredient into your skincare regime, it should be applied after your Vitamin C in the morning and before your moisturizer. At night, it’s great to help ease the dryness that some people are prone to from using Retin-A. Typically, I prefer Retin-A to be applied first, followed by hyaluronic acid, and then moisturizer. That being said, for those that really struggle with dryness and irritation from retinoids, you can also apply hyaluronic acid first, wait 20-30 minutes and then apply Retin-A and your moisturizer. Moisturizer is a must with hyaluronic acid because we want to “seal” it into the skin.
If you want to plump your skin and decrease dryness, hyaluronic acid will be your best friend!
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