ACID INFLUX
Melanie Morris on how to maximise results from
hyaluronic acid
Anyone watching TV ads or reading beauty reviews online would think hyaluronic acid is some incredible, recent, high-tech invention. And while it mightn’t be quite that, it is a very simple ingredient that offers pretty miraculous results. So, if not the result of years of test tube-waving, what is hyaluronic acid? This “acid” isn’t something that’ll strip or burn skin; in fact, it’s a naturally-occurring sugar that holds hundreds of times its weight in water, and that’s the magic. Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the skin, further down in our connective tissue and in nerve fibres; basically, anywhere in the human body that needs lubrication because it works like tiny sponges, pulling water towards it.
Like collagen, vitamin C and various other skincare ingredient heroes, hyaluronic acid can be taken as a supplement, but its popularity in topical skin products is possibly the fastest way to make a difference to fatigued, dehydrated, lined skin because results can be pretty much instant.
On the whole, and unless boosting the body’s ability to naturally make hyaluronic acid, hyaluronic products and treatments are temporary because you are putting something
on your skin that draws water towards it and holds it there, which makes hyaluronic products perfect for a quick, skin-plumping pick-me-up and ideal for refreshing Cinderella-type treatments for big days and nights out. In essence, hyaluronic acid is your friend, especially as it’s a relatively inexpensive ingredient, so one can afford to be liberal with its application. However, it can be a bit of a fair-weather friend, as its results are short-lived.
So, how to get the best from a hyaluronic product?
Shelves are packed with serums, masks and moisturisers boasting hyaluronic acid in their ingredients list, but all are not the same. To get best, and longest-lasting results, the key is to look for a multi-molecular formula. This sounds high tech, but what it means is that the product contains a combination of different weighted molecules of hyaluronic acid so that it both sits on the skin’s surface holding moisture and filling out fine lines, and simultaneously penetrates further inside – plumping at different layers for greater hydration and offering a better, longer-lasting overall effect.
The good news is it’s hard to overuse hyaluronic acid, and hyaluronic serums can be easily added in to any existing
Hyaluronic acid is the hero ingredient skincare brands and salons are turning to for serious results. Want to get the most from it? MELANIE MORRIS
offers a lesson…
skincare regime. As hyaluronic formulations are light, and because the aim is to get those molecules straight down into the dermis, it’s best used first, on top of clean skin; a few drops, smoothed over face and neck. Some hyaluronic formulations (like Dr Sebagh Serum Repair Hyaluronic Acid, approx €80) will make the skin feel tight, but this is a good thing – to ensure the product is driven inward and the feeling disappears after the next step of skincare is added.
Hyaluronic sheet masks (most brands do them) are great preparation for, or recovery from, a night out; don’t forget to rub any extra serum left in the pack onto the backs of your hands for instant rejuvenation; salons offer a number of intensive, hyaluronic facials, and now there’s a way to get super-doses of hyaluronic under the skin to slowly “melt” and deliver more targeted hydration that will last longer.
As spring turns to summer, it’s well worth adding a hyaluronic product to your daily skin regime, and boost with additional treatments, but (and here’s where to connect the beauty dots), drinking more water will make results even more profound, giving those tiny “sponges” something to easily grab on to.
So, support your skincare and add an extra litre to your daily target. Cheers!
“This ‘acid ’ isn’t something that’ll strip or burn skin; in fact, it’s a naturally-occurring sugar that holds hundreds of times its weight in water, and that’s the magic.”