Hyaluronic acid, as a natural linear polysaccharide, has attracted researchers’ attention from its initial detection and isolation from tissues in 1934 until the present day. Due to biocompatibility and high biodegradation of hyaluronic acid, it finds wide application in bioengineering and biomedicine: from bio revitalizing skin cosmetics and endoprostheses of joint fluid to polymeric scaffolds and wound dressings. However, the main properties of aqueous polysaccharide solutions with different molecular weights are different.
Hyaluronic acid is a molecule which we already have in our skin. It’s essential in helping the skin retain a youthful appearance. The molecule can hold over 1,000 times its weight in water. So it’s no wonder that hyaluronic acid has gained so much respect as an excellent way to improve hydration.
Be aware that although hyaluronic acid is naturally occurring within the skin, the kind you find in beauty products was chemically synthesised in a laboratory.
We know that some people are turned off by the word acid. However, hyaluronic acid is a gentle acid, with a pH between 5.0 and 8.0, which complements the skin’s natural pH which hovers between 4.5 and 6.2.
Benefits of hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is associated with many benefits for health and wellness, including:
- Reduces the appearance of wrinkles
Recent studies have found that those who apply hyaluronic acid regularly see up to 40% reduction in wrinkle depth.
- Retains skin firmness
Topical hyaluronic acid seems to improve the skin’s firmness by 55%.5 When injected as a filler, hyaluronic acid can help skin retain a firm and youthful look appearance.6
- Boosts hydration
Using hyaluronic acid for more than two weeks has been shown to increase moisture in the skin by 96%.
hyaluronic acid (HA; sometimes called hyaluronan) is “a natural high-viscosity mucopolysaccharide”. As shown in the images, it consists of repeating two-glucoside units. The molar mass of the natural material is between 106 and 107 g/cm3.
In the human body, highly viscous HA and its sodium salt are a major constituent of synovial fluid; they are also found in the vitreous humor and the umbilical cord. Its name is derived from hyalos, the Greek word for vitreous.
In 1934, Karl Meyer and John W. Palmer at Columbia University (New York) isolated HA from the vitreous humor of cattle eyes and measured many of its properties. Twenty years later, Meyer and Bernard Weissman described the structure of HA taken from umbilical cords.
HA-containing synovial fluid is a natural lubricant for the soft tissues that support natural or artificial joints such as hips and knees, helping them to function smoothly. HA scavenges radicals generated by inflammation. It is sometimes injected into arthritic joints to ease pain and assist movement.
HA is approved for use in some eye surgeries, but there is no evidence of its effectiveness in cosmetic anti-aging products. It can be used, however, as a dermal filler in the face to reduce wrinkles and provide fullness.
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