It can be hard to describe what a healthy, glowing complexion looks like, but when you see a person with that glow, you will immediately recognize it. When the skin surface is dry, it can't reflect light, making it look dull and grey. The skin's hydration is dependent on the amount of hyaluronic acid in it. If you want to get that glowing complexion, you need to increase your skin's hyaluronic acid content, but how?
Our Skin is Protected from Becoming Dry by Hyaluronic Acid.
There is hyaluronic acid throughout our bodies. It can bind 1,000 times its own weight in water molecules and keep our skin hydrated (as well as our other organs). The skin loses its hyaluronic acid content with age. Repeated sun exposure and UV radiation can affect skin elasticity.
Fine lines and wrinkles will start to appear when the skin becomes dry and less elastic. The reason why the skin cannot reflect light well and why you won't have a good glow is because the skin surface will become uneven when the skin is dry.
Hyaluronic Acid Molecules Are Far Too Large to Penetrate the Skin's Surface.
The market is flooded with products that contain hyaluronic acid to combat dry skin. Unfortunately, it is not possible to increase the hyaluronic acid levels in skin cells by applying it onto the surface of the skin. This is because hyaluronic acid molecules form long chains that are too large to penetrate the skin's surface.
It is still a good idea to use topical hyaluronic acid as a humectant. Adding hydrating agents will prevent water loss from the skin. This can help preserve skin hydration.
The Skin's Barrier Function is Extremely Efficient.
The skin's outer layer is called the epidermis. It is often compared to a brick wall. The bricks in this wall metaphor are made of different kinds of fat substances, and 90 percent of the cells are keratinocytes, the cells that make up the top layer of the skin.
Because hyaluronic acid binds water, it is water soluble. Anyone who has made a vinaigrette will know, water and oil don't mix. No matter how vigorously you shake it, the oil will eventually float to the top.
When the fragmented, water-soluble hyaluronic acid particles try to get into the skin, there will be an efficient layer of skin lipids and keratinocytes to stop it. If you think guards at a celebrity nightclub are tough, you haven't met the skin barrier function. It's very effective at preventing substances from entering our bodies through the skin.
You Can Use Skin Boosters to Combat Dry Skin
What can you do if you have dry skin and want to increase hydration? Is it a good idea to drink more water? Unless you have dehydrated skin, it won't make a difference. You probably don't have enough water in the skin to bind it together and give you a healthy glow.
The best way to do that is to use skin boosters. Skin boosters are a type of dermal filler that contains a gel made of stabilised hyaluronic acid. The natural hyaluronic acid in our body degrades very quickly. It would only last for a few days if you injected it into your skin. It's important to note that the stabilised hyaluronic acid in dermal fillers can be slightly modified to last for several months or even a year or two.
Skin boosters are minimally invasive treatments. During a treatment with skin boosters, a thin layer of tiny droplets of gel will be injected into the skin below the surface. Once there, the droplets lock in water to give you more hydrated skin by infusing the skin with moisture.
Does Treatment with Hyaluronic Acid Skin Boosters Really Help with Dry Skin?
Skin boosters are more effective than hyaluronic acid serums and creams because they are injected below the skin's surface to the deeper layers of skin. The hydration effect on dry skin will be long- lasting, because of the stabilisation of the hyaluronic acid molecule.
You can read more about treatment with skin boosters here.
REFERENCES
[1] Gubanova EI et al. Poster presented at IMCAS 2015.; Streker M et al. J Drugs Dermatol 2013;12, 990-994.