The favorite ingredient in the beauty industry is called hyaluronic acid, it is an all-rounder and is therefore no longer just found in skin care. But how should you use it to really benefit from your abilities?
1. Hyaluron for creaming
What do Meghan Markle, actress and newlyweds of British Prince Harry, and hyaluronic acid have in common? Both made it to number one on the Google charts in 2017. Markle as the most wanted woman in the world, hyaluronan was ahead in terms of active ingredients. The double sugar is also a small sensation: It mainly occurs in the skin and joints, more precisely in the spaces between the cells. There it binds so much fluid that it acts like a shock absorber for the bones, makes the skin nicely plump, keeps tissue elastic and stimulates wound healing.
Six liters of water can store one gram of hyaluronic acid
Unfortunately, starting in our mid-twenties, we lose around six percent of our hyaluronic acid every ten years through natural enemies: enzymes that break it down. "This process cannot be reversed, but it can be slowed down with good care "says Dr. Andreas Fitzner, Head of Research and Development at Eubos.
And what belongs in such care products, which come in the form of creams, ampoules, serums or soaked sheet masks? Best of all hyaluronic acid that is made from long and short molecular chains consists. In simplified terms, you can imagine it as follows:
- The long hyaluronic acid chains are too big to penetrate the skin but have an instant effect. "They lie on the surface of the skin and store moisture there until they are washed off again," says Dr. Fitzner. You immediately look a lot smoother and fresher. In addition, the salts of hyaluronic acid strengthen the skin barrier, the "protective wall" that keeps germs and other troublemakers away and at the same time protects against fluid loss.
- Medium chain hyaluronic acid on the other hand, it slowly penetrates the skin and especially moisturizes the upper layers.
- Short chain (and significantly more expensive) should also make it deeper and even have an influence on the cell metabolism there.
How do you get hyaluronic acid?
By the way, until the end of the 90s, hyaluron was extracted from cockscombs, today it is obtained by fermentation from yeast or grain, for example – this vegan variant causes allergies less often. But back to creaming.
The double sugar should therefore be applied consistently and daily and ideally in combination with vitamin B or C. We need the vitamins to produce collagen, the support structure of the skin. And only well-supported tissue can "hold" water and then look nice and firm.
2. Hyaluron for drinking
What ends up in the pan with some people prefer to slurp it.
"I drink my hyaluron, "says Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow, 45. "With a cream you can only reach a few parts of the body. The whole skin benefits from the drinks."
Especially long-chain hyaluronic acidthat otherwise only remains on the surface of the skin, should also arrive in its depth. And from there it could even have a positive effect on our health. Researchers made an amazing discovery: Naked mole rat – small, rat-like animals without fur – know neither cancer nor dementia.It is believed that long-chain hyaluronic acid keeps the tissues of the mulle, one of the longest-lived rodents, healthy. The human body, on the other hand, only produces short-chain shapes on its own.
But does the hyaluronic acid that have been eaten reach the skin?
Isn't it digested and broken down before it can get into the blood? "Normally only ten percent of the molecules cross the intestinal barrier," says US nutritionist Dr. Frank Lipman. In order to protect hyaluron from its attackers, the enzymes, manufacturers like to encapsulate it with hesperidin. The antioxidant from the white skin of citrus fruits is supposed to ensure that the active ingredient is not broken down so quickly. "So eat the white, it protects your hyaluron deposits," advises Lipman.
And another thing: Drinking ampoules or Capsules should be taken for at least four weeks, only then has the skin renewed itself and you can see differences (such as "Regulatpro Hyaluron" from Dr. Niedermaier; collagen drinking ampoules "Elasten" from Quiris Healthcare; available exclusively in pharmacies).
3. Inject hyaluronic acid
Injections, especially in the cheeks, but also in the area of the lips, are a classic area of application for hyaluronic acid. To ensure that the result looks as natural as possible instead of a padded pillow face, doctors like Dr. Thomas Hartmann, specialist in plastic surgery at Goldbek Medical in Hamburg, on the "8-point lift" available from 450 euros, in which small amounts of a very stable hyaluronic acid are placed deep in the skin at eight points from the cheekbone to the chin region become. "This relieves the nasolabial fold and it recedes."
Not every form of hyaluronic acid is suitable for facial treatment
Manufacturers such as Teoxane have recently been promoting hyaluronic acid, which has been specially developed for moving parts of the face such as cheeks and mouth: Resilient Hyaluronic Acid (RHA) such as "Teosyhal" is said to be even more flexible and thus adapt better to the movements of the muscles. Dr. Hartmann is rather skeptical. "It depends on the amount. I only use one milliliter per half of the face with the '8-point lift', such an amount goes with everything. More important is how strongly interlinked, i.e. how stable the hyaluronic acid is.
"Quality really takes precedence over quantity here."
That's why it should Lifting that lasts around twelve to 18 monthsshould only be carried out by well-trained doctors. So-called mesotherapy can help with dry, wrinkled skin. Micro-injuries are inflicted on the epidermis, i.e. the upper skin, with small needles in order to work in a cocktail with hyaluron, vitamins and minerals. "The most effective way to get the skin to produce more hyaluronic acid and collagen," says London-based dermatologist Dr. Frances Prenna Jones, who also treats model Kate Moss.
For those who don't like needles, she recommends a "Jetpeel", in which a mixture of water, gas and table salt is shot at the skin at speeds of up to 720 kilometers per hour. The peeling, which is also offered by cosmetic studios, removes dead skin and is supposed to let the hyaluronic acid sink even deeper into the skin.
4. Make-up – there is hyaluronic acid in make-up
Even in make-up there is now hyaluronic acid. Nivea, for example, has now launched a sponge that is care, make-up and tool in one. The primer covers more than a "BB cream", but should provide more intensive care. And it contains Creatine, the skin's own substance that is said to stimulate hyaluronic acid production. Just like saponin: extracted from soybeans, it is supposed to give the hyaluronic acid in the skin, the so-called fibroblasts, the command to shift up a gear. Or maybe even two courses. An in-vitro study by Eucerin has already shown that saponin could increase the release of acid by 256 percent (for example in the "Hyaluron Filler CC Cream SPF 15" from Eucerin).
5. Spray – hyaluronic acid for hair
Also new are shampoos, conditioners and sprays with hyaluronic acid, which should ensure smooth, silky hair and a fuller head.
"Uncrosslinked hyaluronic acid can indeed diffuse to a small extent into the horny material of the hair and bind water molecules there so that the hair becomes a little more supple. But it is definitely a fad," says Dr. Frank-Matthias Schaart, dermatologist and hair specialist from Hamburg.
Does the double sugar bind too much water, which then weighs down the hair? "I doubt that," said Schaart. "The hyaluronic acid on the hair is almost completely rinsed out when you wash it." And that is perhaps the problem with anything that needs to be washed out. If the hyaluronic acid should remain on the hair or even be absorbed into the horny layer in order to have a longer-term effect, products such as light leave-in sprays make sense.
Even more cosmetic products with hyaluronic acid: We put face cream with hyaluronic acid to the editorial test. The BRIGITTE beauty department simply creamed away dry skin and wrinkles – the results are for reading. It's all a question of connective tissue: Hyaluron is not only responsible for firm skin, it also strengthens the connective tissue of the entire body. We have even more practical tips on how to strengthen your connective tissue.