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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.
Melasma is a specific example of hyperpigmentation. Melasma looks like whole patches of brown or darker skin across the parts of the face and neck. Melasma is common among women who are pregnant - it’s even referred to as “the mask of pregnancy.” But melasma can occur in both men and women who are not pregnant, too. Melasma can be caused by UV damage, but there are also genetic, hormonal, and medication-induced causes for melasma, too.
There are a variety of topical ingredients that can be used to lighten the skin from melasma or reduce its appearance. Each ingredient works in different ways, and each has their own benefits and drawbacks. hydroquinone, arbutin, vitamin C (ascorbic acid, and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, etc) are some of the most commonly used ingredients for melasma treatment.
Hydroquinone is a skin lightening cream that works by suppressing the production of melanin. There are drawbacks to using hydroquinone, however, including cancer risks demonstrated by recent scientific studies, as well as hydroquinone-induced ochronosis.
Arbutin is a synthesized derivative of hydroquinone. It acts as a powerful skin lightening ointment that works a bit differently than hydroquinone. It blocks the production of melanin instead of “bleaching” the skin.
Vitamin C can be used as a brightening agent to lighten the hyperpigmentation of your sunspots or melasma. It works by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase, preventing the formation of melatonin.
Ascorbic Acid is actually the formal scientific name for one form of Vitamin C. It can refer to either a naturally occurring Vitamin C found in foods such as citrus, or a synthetic form of ascorbic acid created to be more shelf-stable for skincare products like discoloration repair lotions and creams.
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate is another form of Vitamin C. By synthesizing this compound from Vitamin C, dermatologists are able to give us all the benefits of Vitamin C in a more shelf-stable form that can also be soluble in oil to make more effective, deeper penetrating skin products. (Herndon 2016)
Ingredients in the vitamin A family (ie. Retinol, tretinoin, etc) and acids (glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid) help damaged pigmented skin cells shred faster, so they also help with melasma.
hyaluronic acid may be effective for melasma, 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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