What Is Hyaluronic Acid?

It’s inevitable that your skin will wrinkle as you age. You cannot stop Mother Nature. Wrinkles are a natural part of the aging process. As you get older, your skin becomes thinner, drier, and less elastic, which means it is less able to protect itself from damage. 

There are many reasons why your skin wrinkles – sun exposure, smoking, environmental factors, and dehydration. I bet you didn’t know that even facial expressions such as smiling, frowning, or squinting can cause wrinkles in your skin. 

We all look for that fountain of youth to keep us looking younger. However, did you know that your skin contains its own “fountain of youth?” It’s called hyaluronic acid. This jello-like humectant (moisture-binding ingredient) attracts water and keeps the skin plump, smooth, and supple. 

Hyaluronic acid is a hydrating superhero. It helps our skin protect itself while also reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. It’s pretty incredible! It is also becoming increasingly popular in skin care products because of its age-defying properties. Unfortunately, most skin care products also contain toxic ingredients. 

The good news is that you can find a clean skin care product containing this hydrating superhero! I’ll tell you how later and talk more about its benefits. First, let’s talk more about this hydrating superhero. 

Hyaluronic Acid: The Hydrating Serum 

Saying hyaluronic acid can be a bit tricky, so let’s get the pronunciation down. It’s pronounced “Hiyah-lurr-on-ick” acid. I remember it by thinking about doing a karate chop. The pronunciation is the hardest part to understand about this hydration superpower. 

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan found throughout the body’s connective tissue. Glycosaminoglycans are simply long unbranched carbohydrates, or sugars, called polysaccharides.

It is the main component of what gives your skin structure and is responsible for that plump and hydrated look. You likely know about collagen’s benefits to your skin. However, this is the superstar nutrient for your skin. 

As I mentioned, hyaluronic acid is becoming increasingly popular in the skincare world. For good reason, too! It’s been called the “holy grail of hydration”¹ and the “natural fountain of youth.”² Hyaluronic acid skin care products are a hydrating serum that is applied to your face. It’s also naturally in your  skin, eyes, and joints, where it works as a cushion and lubricant.³

Hydration  is so important for our skin to protect us from bacteria, germs, and toxins. Additionally, well-hydrated skin will have a smoother texture – meaning less lines and wrinkles. 

Hyaluronic Acid and Your Skin

Hyaluronic acid performs two actions: Hydrate your skin and lubricate your joints. It is a humectant, meaning it retains moisture. It can bind up to 1000-times its weight in water!⁴ That’s a lot of hydration.  

Just as with collagen, hyaluronic acid production in our skin slows down as we age – resulting in a double-whammy for our skin elasticity. The good news is that we can slow down the aging process by keeping it hydrated. That’s where hyaluronic acid comes in.

Hyaluronic acid binds to collagen, keeping essential moisture below your skin’s surface for dewy, taught, and a youthful skin appearance. Hyaluronic acid also supports your body’s natural collagen production.⁵ Those are just a few of the benefits of hyaluronic acid. 

What Are Hyaluronic Acid’s Benefits?

Your skin needs nourishment just as the rest of your body. After all, your skin is your body’s largest organ and needs water, vitamins, and cholesterol for optimal support. As with collagen, your body’s production of hyaluronic acid declines as you get older. A lot of people supplement with hyaluronic acid through capsules, topical creams, serums, and even injections. 

The reason hyaluronic acid supplements and creams have become so popular is due to its array of benefits to keep your skin looking younger.  I’ve briefly mentioned some of the benefits, yet there is so much more. Here are 5 more benefits you should know:

1. It hydrates your skin – It increases skin moisture to keep it elastic and smooth
2. Promotes cell growth – It supports tissue regeneration and a healthy inflammatory response. 
3. Anti-aging – As I said earlier, wrinkles are a natural part of the aging process. However, due to its hydrating and smoothing properties, hyaluronic acid can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. 
4. Supports your joints – Your joints have hyaluronic acid in them. It’s what keeps the space between your bones lubricated. People with osteoarthritis often get injections of it directly into the joints.⁶ 
5. Promotes pigmentation –When there is cell growth, it promotes proper pigmentation of your skin.

Hyaluronic acid is an essential nutrient for your skin’s health, yet it also supports your joints and bones. Since your body makes its own hyaluronic acid, there are ways to support its production. 

Your Body’s Production of Hyaluronic Acid

Believe it or not, you can support your body’s natural production of hyaluronic acid through your diet! However, there is a catch. Eating foods rich in vitamin C and essential amino acids support the production of this hydrating nutrient in the body. 

Vitamin C plays an important role in collagen production. In fact, your body cannot make collagen without it! Vitamin C is a cofactor for essential enzymes that promote a stable collagen triple-helix structure. Taking a collagen supplement along with eating vitamin C-rich foods can provide optimal benefit of this protein. 

Good vitamin C-rich foods include: 

• Avocados
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Spinach
• Watermelon

Some common vitamin C-rich foods are not as good for you as you might think. CItrus fruits, nightshade vegetables, along with pineapple and strawberries can be problematic for those with autoimmune disease or if you have a sensitivity to them. 

I recommend doing a 30-day elimination diet and then reintroducing those foods and recording your symptoms to see if you have a sensitivity to them. 

While hyaluronic acid products are growing in popularity, there are a few ingredients you should avoid in your skin care products. Let’s talk about the problem with most products on the market. 

The Problem with Most Hyaluronic Acid Products

The skin care industry is not regulated. An average of 7 new industrial chemicals that are used in skin care products get approval by the U.S. government every day, and 80% of these chemicals are approved in three weeks or less with little or no safety testing performed on them.

The average American uses approximately 10-15 personal care products with a total of 126 different ingredients daily. When you add up multiple uses, that’s a lot of different ingredients we’re putting into our bodies. 

It’s overwhelming to try and avoid all toxic ingredients so here’s a list of “the dirty dozen” that could be lurking in your skin care products:

• Parabens
• Phthalates
• BHA & BHT
• Coal tar dyes
• DEA
• Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
• Undisclosed fragrances
• PEG compounds
• Siloxanes
• Petrolatum
• Triclosan

I want to point out that fragrances are considered a trade secret and not required to be disclosed on a label of skin care products. Even products labeled “fragrance-free” or “unscented” likely contain fragrance with a masking agent that keeps your brain from recognizing the smell. 

The Best Hydration for Your Skin 

The cosmetic industry argues that it’s perfectly fine to use toxic ingredients such as parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives on your face because only tiny amounts are used in each product and are therefore not harmful. However, with daily use, these toxic chemicals add up and wreak havoc on your body and your health! 

I spent years looking for skin care products that didn’t contain toxic ingredients and fragrances, yet had little luck. I knew there had to be a better way. That’s why I’m excited to tell you about my new skin care line – Amy Myers MD® Beauty! 

One step in my new skincare line is an Age-Defying Hyaluronic Acid Serum that is a rapidly-absorbing serum designed to plump, rejuvenate, and hydrate dry skin. The best part, every single product in my line, including the Age-Defying Hyaluronic Acid Serum, is a high-performance, doctor-designed formula, non-toxic and rich in the purest forms of bioactive botanical ingredients so you can experience healthy skin without sacrificing results!

Featuring a potent concentration of hyaluronic acid, your skin’s most powerful moisture retainer, as well as retinol, glycolic acid, vitamin E, and gotu kola extract, this advanced formula of Age-Defying Hyaluronic Acid Serum dives beneath the surface to help skin cells retain long-lasting hydration and skin that looks and feels bouncy, dewy and beautiful.

The Age-Defying Hyaluronic Acid Serum features exotic botanical extracts including white willow bark, horsetail grass, and wild geranium flower to promote the formation of healthy new skin cells to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

We all want to look younger and have great-looking skin. This is your skin’s superhero to defy aging. It’s an essential nutrient for your skin that keeps it hydrated, smooth and looking youthful.