What is the hyaluronic acid and why it is important for our body?
Hyaluronic acid is a substance naturally found in many tissues and organs of the human body: epidermis, connective tissue, cartilage, synovial fluid, eyes, etc. One of the most important properties of hyaluronic acid is the ability to attract and retain water, which keeps those tissues where hyaluronic acid is concentrated in good condition and hydrated.
How much hyaluronic acid do we have?
An average 70-kilogram person may have a total amount of 15 grams of hyaluronic acid in his body, and one-third of it is degraded and synthesized every day.
How hyaluronic acid is related with aging?
However, it happens that during the aging process the presence of hyaluronic acid in the body decreases progressively and, as a consequence, all those parts of our body that need it for a normal functioning start to suffer from the lack of it. In the case of the skin it loses hydration and, therefore, elasticity and firmness, becoming more flaccid and opening the door to the appearance of wrinkles. The same occurs in the joints (knee, elbow…), so that the cartilages become more rigid and can break and make you feel pain with daily movements that before were easy to perform: the lack of hyaluronic acid makes them more rigid and causes friction inside the junction. In fact, it is demonstrated that at the age of 50 only half of the body’s hyaluronic acid remains in the body compared to a young age.
What is hyaluronic acid used for in cosmetics?
The function of hyaluronic acid for cosmetics is to maintain good skin hydration, even in its deepest layers, so that the thickness, volume and smoothness of the skin is maintained. It can help to prevent or delay the appearance of wrinkles or also treat them when they are at their most incipient stage of appearance.
However, in the field of aesthetic medicine hyaluronic acid it has meant a real revolution in the treatment of wrinkles, to the point of replacing in many cases the botulinum toxin (botox). It has been clinically proven that when applied by intradermal injection, hyaluronic acid stimulates and activates fibroblasts even in the most elderly people, which means that in addition to providing greater volume to the skin, it also stimulates collagen formation. This means that hyaluronic acid is currently being used to eliminate any kind of wrinkles:
- The nasolabial wrinkles, those that start from the nose towards the sides of the mouth
- Peribucal wrinkles and lip corners, in the lip contour line
- Those between the eyebrows
- The crow’s feet
- The forehead
Why is hyaluronic acid important outside aesthetics?
Hyaluronic acid, also called glycosaminoglycan in the medical field, is a widely used component in the beauty treatments that you can find in our Top Dermal shop.
Besides, it is a clue component for treating arthritis: it is used to treat joints, as it is a fundamental part of the synovial fluid mixture that acts as a lubricant for knees, elbows and phalanges on our fingers. Having hyaluronic acid in the correct quantities promotes joint smooth movement.
It is also used to replace the synovial fluid that is lost during arthroscopies. It is also used in elite and professional athletes to speed up recovery from joint injuries or surgeries (ankle, knee, etc.).
If you are interested to learn more in depth about the properties of HA and how to correctly choose it for various aesthetic concerns, please read the article written by our contributing doctor here.