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Hyaluronic acid is a common ingredient in skincare products. It's used chiefly in moisturizing creams, lotions, and serums because of its ability to hydrate and plump the skin.
Because it has "acid" in its name, it's often mistaken for an exfoliating ingredient, much like salicylic acid or glycolic acid. However, hyaluronic acid has little in common with alpha hydroxy or beta hydroxy acids such as these. Hyaluronic acid attracts water from within the dermis and moves it along to the skin surface, the epidermis. Hyaluronic acid and other glycosaminoglycans also play a role in skin elasticity and tone, cell metabolism, regeneration, and healing.
As you age, hyaluronic acid levels in the skin naturally taper off. Your skin doesn't manufacture it as effectively as it used to. That is partly why the skin becomes thinner and drier as you get older. Hyaluronic acid levels in the skin begin a steep decline after age 40.
Apply a topical hyaluronic acid product and it will help pull moisture from the deeper layers of the skin to infuse the top layers of the skin with moisture. If you live in a humid area, it can also help pull water from the air into your skin.
Hyaluronic acid products also help reduce trans-epidermal water loss. This is another way of saying that it helps keep the water in your skin, rather than letting it evaporate out into the air.
This unfortunate name comes from the craft tissue called crepe paper, which is thin and wrinkled. Crepey skin, therefore, refers to skin that is thin and wrinkled in appearance. Crepey skin typically appears as we age and our skin loses its ability to hold moisture to stay plump and firm. We also lose our ability to produce as much collagen as we age, which also contributes to thinner, less pliable skin. The likelihood of your skin becoming crepey as you age is determined, in part, by genetics as well. Smart skincare routines and lifestyle changes can help prevent areas of thin skin from becoming crepey in appearance.
To prevent crepey skin caused by sun damage, it’s best to moisturize daily and wear sunscreen. Additionally, antioxidants protect the skin from free radicals that damage cells and speed up aging. Ingredients and nutrients like rosehip oil, jojoba oil, peptides, red tea extract, retinol/vitamin A, coenzyme Q10, alpha-hydroxy acide and salicylic acid are all beneficial for preventing and reducing wrinkles. Collagen, ingredients that boost the production of collagen like vitamin C, and moisture barriers are all useful in plumping the skin and making skin firmer and tighter.
hyaluronic acid may be effective for crepey skin, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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