Featured Ingredient: Hyaluronic Acid(HA)

Hyaluronic Acid or Sodium Hyaluronate or simply referred as HA has many benefits and is one of the most interesting ingredients in skin care. HA is also a major component of skin, where it is involved in tissue repair. Topically applied, HA forms an air permeable layer and penetrates into the dermis, thus boosting the elasticity and hydration of the skin. The protective barrier on the skin locks in moisture, which gives the skin a youthful appearance.

Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid

The benefits of hyaluronic acid are becoming increasingly well known as an effective anti-aging skin care treatment in the skin care industry. One of the principle characteristics of HA is its ability to retain water, which contributes significantly to the skin maintaining a youthful appearance. 

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Everyone’s skin naturally contains hyaluronic acid. It is found in the reticular layer of the skin or the deepest layer of the dermis (the dermis is located under the epidermis or the top layer of our skin). The reticular layer contains collagen and elastin, and hyaluronic acid is found between these fibers helping to give your skin its volume and snap. Babies skin in full of hyaluronic acid which explains why a baby has such soft and moist skin. Like many other essential factors, the levels of HA in the body decreases with each passing year. As the levels of hyaluronic decrease it adversely impacts the skin's ability to retain moisture, thus leading to those inevitable wrinkles.

With its gaining popularity, hyaluronic acid is quickly becoming one of the active anti-aging ingredients to look for in skin rejuvenation products.

Although HA is becoming an integral component of anti-aging skin care products it is also used to promote healing, alleviate issues that develop with connective tissue such as joint movement as well as in treating some eye disorders.

Hyaluronic acid is an excellent alternative to collagen, particularly since both anti-aging treatments accomplish similar rejuvenating goals. Many actually prefer hyaluronic acid over collagen because the effects last longer.

Topically, the benefits of HA can be quite significant. Unlike topical collagen treatments, HA has the ability to be effectively absorbed by the skin as well as serves as an efficient 'carrier' of other anti-aging ingredients to cells. That means that the active anti-aging ingredients are transported to the cells through the layers of skin.

As a result, hyaluronic acid is preferred over topical collagen treatments mainly because HA can actually reach the cells!

Source:
http://organicbeautyandskin.com/what-is-my-skin-type/benefits-of-hyaluronic-acid.html

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/skin_care/hic_understanding_the_ingredients_in_skin_care_products.aspx
http://www.skincareresourcecenter.com/benefits-of-hyaluronic-acid.html
http://askanesthetician.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/ingredient-spotlight-hyaluronic-acid/