I KNOW you've heard about HYALURONIC ACID. When clients first come to me and mention their routine, they almost always mention using a Hyaluronic Acid Serum and I pretty much always say the same thing.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is used in so many skincare products but, in recent years we now see stand alone HA serums. These are marketed to hydrate and moisturize the skin. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in our body that helps retain moisture, keeping the skin plump, hydrated, and youthful-looking. However, as we age, our skin's natural hyaluronic acid levels decrease, leading to dryness, fine lines, and wrinkles.
Hyaluronic acid serums typically contain a concentrated form of hyaluronic acid and when applied to our skin, it attracts moisture from the environment and binds it to the skin. If you live in a dry environment or it is winter, there isn't moisture in the air so it cannot pull from this source. It also pulls moisture from our dermis (the deeper layers of our skin) and brings it to our outermost layer of skin, giving a temporary plumping effect at best. This is kind of like borrowing from tomorrow to give you a boost for today, leaving your skin to play catch up.
Most derms and other Drs readily say that using a stand-alone HA serum will most often cause MORE DRYNESS in your skin and is not a necessary product to add into your routine. Like all other ingredients, HA varies significantly in how it is formulated.
One upside to using HA serums is that it tends to not be irritating so, many different skin types can use it. But HA works BETTER when used in a cocktailed serum where it is partnered with better hydrators.