Why You Need Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is imperative for healthy-looking, wrinkle-free skin. When the skin lacks sufficient amounts of it, the quickest, and easiest, way to reinstate it is with regular injections of hyaluronic acid fillers. 

THE ROLE OF HYALURONIC ACID

Hyaluronic acid, a naturally found substance (a sugar) that binds to water, is necessary for properly moisturized skin. “Hyaluronic acid literally holds water in the dermis forming an important component of the dermal matrix,” says West Palm Beach, FL, dermatologist Kenneth R. Beer, MD. In your 20s and 30s the body begins to produce less hyaluronic acid than before and when there is a dip, it shows on the skin.

HOW IT WORKS

Regardless of the brand used (Juvéderm, Restylane and Perlane are all hyaluronic acid-based fillers), hyaluronic acid fillers work by attracting water to the site and filling in wrinkles with moisture. When a filler of this nature is injected into areas that show signs of aging, water is drawn to the area and binds to the molecules of the filler to fill in the lines and wrinkles by literally plumping them up with moisture.

HOW IT BOOSTS MOISTURE

Fillers don’t physically alter the amount of hyaluronic acid in the body nor do they cause the skin to feel any less dry, but they do attract water to the source to plump lines and wrinkles internally. “To my knowledge, there is no correlation between injections and increased moisture levels in the skin because the fillers are placed deep in the dermal layer,” says New York dermatologist Anne Chapas, MD. “In Europe, there’s a trend of injecting vitamins and hyaluronic acid superficially and that actually increases skin hydration,” she adds. Fillers used overseas, which are not FDA-approved as of press time, use finer threads of hyaluronic acid. To replicate a similar effect, San Francisco dermatologist Vic Narurkar, MD, says some doctors dilute Juvéderm and then inject it into the face and neck to give a plumping and hydrating effect. Hyaluronic acid fillers also fill in the space between collagen and elastin to give a plumpness to the skin. Because hyaluronic acid is such a large molecule, it works better when injected deep into the skin as opposed to applied topically.

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