Hyaluronic acid uses, characteristics, properties and benefits

Anyone who usually buys anti-wrinkle creams or other skin products designed to preserve a youthful look has undoubtedly heard of hyaluronic acid, a molecule increasingly used in cosmetics for its recognised moisturising, anti-ageing and anti-slackening properties.

However, it is much less known that hyaluronic acid, like collagen, is naturally present in the body and that, with ageing, tends to diminish physiologically.

This decrease has a significant effect on the skill with consequent loss of tone and structure making the skin appear increasingly withered and less turgid.

This article tries to explain simply and clearly what hyaluronic acid is and what it is used for, its fields of application and its countless properties for the skin and more.

In particular, we will discuss:

• What is hyaluronic acid
• The use of hyaluronic acid
  • The benefits of hyaluronic acid in aesthetic medicine
  • The benefits of hyaluronic acid in orthopaedics
• How to choose the best hyaluronic acid
• How hyaluronic acid works? Conclusions

What is hyaluronic acid

Before exploring what hyaluronic acid is used for, it is essential to understand what it is to decide when and how to use HA products, particularly if you plan to use fillers to improve your look.

As we have already mentioned, hyaluronic acid is a molecule already present in our body. It is produced by fibroblasts, which are cells whose purpose is to moisturise tissue.

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a linear polysaccharide naturally produced by the body and found mainly in the synovial fluid of the knee, the dermis of the skin and the vitreous body of the eye.

However, during the physiological ageing process, there is a gradual loss of hyaluronic acid in the tissues together with a loss of collagen and elastin fibres.

When the natural production of hyaluronic acid in the body decreases, HA can be created for medical and aesthetic purposes using various techniques.

It is not by chance that for over 50 hyaluronic acid has been a molecule widely studied and used both in orthopaedics – for the prevention and treatment of joint disorders, and in aesthetic medicine to fight wrinkles, moisturise and contribute to the cellular rejuvenation of the skin.

Hyaluronic Acid Uses

Hyaluronic acid has special characteristics that allow it to attract and retain 1000 times its weight in water.

This allows HA to act on the skin, keeping it moisturised, supple and turgid.

In addition to moisturising the skin, it interacts with collagen and elastin to provide support for the skin.

Hyaluronic acid proves valuable not only in aesthetic medicine but also in orthopaedics.

Thus, let’s review its benefits with respect to the different areas of application, bearing in mind that HA has the advantage of being completely reabsorbable by the body and thus it disappears without a trace.

The benefits of hyaluronic acid in aesthetic medicine

We have mentioned that one of the reasons for the formation of wrinkles is specifically the inevitable loss of hyaluronic acid in the tissue.

When its support function is missing, the skin ‘gives way’ and, in addition to forming more or less deep furrows, it also loses volume and the oval of the face no longer has the shape it once had.

Because of its effects on the face hyaluronic acid forms the basis of many cosmetic treatments and, in particular, injectable products.

In this case, HA is produced industrially from bacterial cultures, to be used as a filler to fight skin imperfections.

This is a filler substance in the form of a clear jelly whose density varies depending on the area of the face being treated.

They range from very soft and fluid fillers to heavier and more volumising ones, depending on the area to treat, the result to achieve and the type of blemish to correct.

This is why it is essential to turn to trained and experienced doctors. Their experience allows them to recommend the best solution for each case.

Let’s take a look at the properties of hyaluronic acid that make it one of the most widely used substances in aesthetic medicine to fight ageing and more:

1. It moisturises the skin deeply and regulates sebum production.
2. It removes free radicals, among the main causes of the ageing process, and prevents the appearance of wrinkles caused by the damaging effects of air pollution.
3. Stimulates fibroblasts to increase the production of collagen, which, together with elastin, is one of the proteins essential to give structure to the skin.
4. Restores volume to the skin by filling the gap between collagen and elastin fibres, especially in mature skin, making the skin supple and firm again.
5. Fights skin ageing by promoting the regeneration and natural freshness of the face, helping to maintain a youthful appearance despite ageing.
6. It visibly fills wrinkles, smoothing out even the deepest ones.
7. Makes thin lips plump without creating an unnatural and unsightly balloon effect.
8. It allows correcting small asymmetries or nose humps, without surgery and avoiding post-operative hospitalisation recovery.

Therefore, hyaluronic acid will gradually replace more invasive aesthetic medicine approaches.

Fillers based on hyaluronic acid are non-invasive natural treatments that guarantee ad hoc intervention without modifying the person’s original look or causing side effects.

The goal of the most innovative hyaluronic acid fillers is to make one’s look the best for the person’s age and not to look ‘unnaturally’ younger.

The benefits of hyaluronic acid in orthopaedics

As mentioned earlier, another medical field in which hyaluronic acid finds wide application is the orthopaedics sector, where HA-based therapeutic infiltrations play a very important role.

Hyaluronic acid, administered inside the joint, provides significant benefits because the infiltrations allow the right concentration to reach the injured area, thereby obtaining the maximum benefits and minimising the risk of side effects.

So what are the benefits of hyaluronic acid on joints (e.g. knees and shoulders)?

1. Tissue regeneration: HA restores the biological balance lost due to joint disease by restoring the viscoelastic properties of synovial fluid.
2. Cartilage preservation: protects cartilage from mechanical injury, reducing the progression of damage
3. Lubricating effect: hyaluronic acid improves joint mechanics, reducing the inflammatory process and pain.

HA is particularly effective in preventing and treating osteoarthritis where, in the joint affected, there is a reduction in the viscoelasticity of the synovial fluid which, in turn, leads to an imbalance in the metabolism of the hyaluronic acid physiologically present in the joint.

This leads to pain, inflammation and general degeneration of joint function.

HA, thanks to its main component, glucuronic acid and glucosamine, is able to restore the chemical and physical condition of joints and tendons to normal.

How to choose the best hyaluronic acid?

If you wish to improve your appearance by resorting to HA fillers because of all the advantages we have discussed, it is essential to turn to professionals who use fillers produced with the best hyaluronic acid to achieve the desired result safely.

As is the case with the Foliage Hyaluronic acid injectables by Phitogen, a company that has been active in the field of aesthetic and orthopaedic medicine for over 20 years, particularly in the production of pure hyaluronic acid-based injectables.

Foliage products guarantee:

1. An entirely Italian production, in which each stage is managed and checked by in-house laboratories and specialised professionals.
2. Raw material of the highest quality: in fact, it is pure hyaluronic acid of non-animal origin, produced by fermentation from streptococcus equi, biocompatible and with rare possibilities of allergic reactions.
3. State-of-the-art experimentation and production techniques for a superior product, thanks to an advanced R&D department.
4. Innovative certified formulas: the use of the new Conservative Cross-Linking technology offers greater penetration and distribution of the product within the tissues with a highly natural effect.
5. Different product lines depending on the intended use and degree of cross-linking of the hyaluronic acid.

Therefore, the choice of serum is a fundamental moment that should not be underestimated.

This is why it is a good idea to ask your doctor what type of product he intends to use before undergoing treatment.

How hyaluronic acid works Conclusions

We have seen how hyaluronic acid can be used to solve joint and tendon problems.

Similarly, if one wants to improve his or her appearance, acquiring a more youthful look without distorting it, the use of hyaluronic acid fillers can be an effective, non-invasive and safe solution for one’s health, as it is a substance naturally present in the body.

The best products ensure greater penetration and distribution of the product within the tissue, allowing a very natural effect to be achieved.

This improves the appearance and physiological well-being of the skin and activates a skin-repair action that lasts over time.

So, whether to nourish the skin, eliminate wrinkles or plump up the lips one should never neglect to rely on a specialised doctor and to ask as much information as possible about the type of injection that will be used, this is to avoid health problems or unpleasant aesthetic effects.