What do you want to know about hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid (HA, a.k.a. hyaluronan) is a natural component of the skin and a major component of the dermal matrix. A huge molecule capable of retaining 1000 times its volume in water, it facilitates the exchange of nutritional and regulatory metabolites.In our skin, it stabilizes the intercellular (in-between cells) space in the dermis, and contributes significantly to cell proliferation, migration, and skin repair, activities essential to skin health.
Hyaluronic acid is a linear polysaccharide, made by animals and by some bacteria, with long chains made of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine alternating with glucuronic acid.By definition, the molecular weight of hyaluronic acid is in the millions. Small fragments of broken hyaluronic acid can’t hold water or form gels. But the main reason NOT to use broken down hyaluronic acid is that at molecular weights below 50,000 it is known to promote inflammation.
Hyaluronic acid is a major component of the skin and keeping it intact is important to prevent wrinkles. Skin care companies are always looking for ways to increase hyaluronic acid content in the skin. We know that injections are only a short term solution because endogenous hyaluronidase will break it down in a matter of weeks.
To prevent degradation of your skin hyaluronic acid by hyaluronidases, avoid the sun, wear sunscreen and use antioxidants.
The hyaluronic acid we use at Skin Actives is obtained by fermentation followed by purification.
It is best to avoid very low molecular weight hyaluronic acid or injectables that have been chemically modified (to delay or prevent degradation). Instead, protect your own and use growth factors like keratinocyte growth factor or epidermal growth factor, which will “coax” your own skin to make its own.
Questions? Just ask.
References
Hu, Michael S et al. (2018) Embryonic skin development and repair. Organogenesis, 14: 46-63.
Lee, D.H. et al. (2016) Glycosaminoglycan and proteoglycan in skin aging. J. Dermatological Science. 83: 174-181.
Maytin, Edward V (2016) Hyaluronan, more than a wrinkle filler. Glycobiology, 26:553-559.
Kanda, N., Watanabe, S. (2005) Regulatory roles of sex hormones in cutaneous biology and immunology, J. Dermatological Science, 38: 1-7.
Karvinen, S. , Pasonen-Seppäne, S., Juha M. T. Hyttinen, Juha-Pekka Pienimäki, Kari Törrönen, Tiina A. Jokela, Markku I. Tammi and Raija Tammi (2003) Keratinocyte Growth Factor Stimulates Migration and Hyaluronan Synthesis in the Epidermis by Activation of Keratinocyte Hyaluronan Synthases 2 and 3. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 278: 49495-49504.
Juha-Pekka Pienimäki, Kirsi Rilla, Csaba Fülöp‡, Reijo K. Sironen, Susanna Karvinen, Sanna Pasonen, Mikko J. Lammi, Raija Tammi, Vincent C. Hascall‡ and Markku I. Tammi (2001) Epidermal Growth Factor Activates Hyaluronan Synthase 2 in Epidermal Keratinocytes and Increases Pericellular and Intracellular Hyaluronan, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276:20428-20435.