Using Hyaluronic Acid to Decrease Fine Lines and Wrinkles
Hyaluronic acid is a natural component of the skin of animals, including humans. Its structure is the same across most species of animals. Hyaluronic acid’s main function is to give stability to the skin and hold water.
Many of you may have heard of hyaluronic acid in products like Juvederm, Restylane, and Perlane which have been on the market for a few years and are used as “fillers”. These products come in injectable forms that are placed under the skin with a needle to replace volume lost with natural aging. For those of you familiar with “fillers” you know that some require a skin test to use. Hyaluronic acid fillers do not require the skin test as the chemical structure is the same so there is very little potential for a negative reaction.
There are many ways of using these fillers in dermatology, some of them new, and some of them refinements to what we have been doing. Beyond using them in the FDA approved location of the nasolabial folds, we have been using it to correct the bags under people’s eyes, the pre-jowl sulcus, to augment the chin and cheekbones and to fill that hollowed look that can occur in the temples and cheeks in men and women as they age.
A newer trend has been the use of hyaluronic acid in topical preparations to help decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Now, this has been available in facial creams for a short while, but recently there are many products to choose from that also contain anti-aging ingredients like retinoids and antioxidants along with the hyaluronic acid, decreasing the need to put multiple layers of creams on the face each evening.
Since we know everyone would prefer one inclusive cream over multiple bottles and multiple costs, I have ordered some of these newer formulations to bring to you in the new office. I am already using these products as I received some samples at the conference. Even after 48 hours I can see a difference in the fine lines around my eyes.
Interestingly, there are even a few sunscreens with hyaluronic acid in them for the face. These are specially formulated for sensitive skin with no fragrance and no parabens. I am anxious to try this with my patients who have dry skin on the face that have a difficult time tolerating sunscreens.
