Hyaluronic acid serum and the role of hyaluronic acid in the skin

Each month, we are going to spotlight a product from the Glow & Skin professional skin care range. We will delve a little deeper into the science of the skin actives and look at how they can help a range of skin concerns and work to slow down the ageing process.

The Glow & Skin professional range contains all the products needed to treat a variety of skin concerns and have been formulated using powerful skin actives.

Education is so important when it comes to skin care. Understanding the difference between skin care that is bought in stores and online to those that are from a professional range used by highly trained skin specialists, is key to unlocking great skin.

With so much misleading information, it’s difficult to know what’s effective and what’s not. But that’s where our skin experts at Glow & Skin are here to help, separating skin science from marketing hype. 

The Glow & Skin product range has been specifically formulated to use ingredients of the highest quality which work in synergy to maximise the skin health benefits. Skincare you can trust which works hard, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, with targeted delivery of the recommended doses of skin actives needed to maintain healthy, glowing skin.

So, let’s look at our first featured product, the Glow & Skin Hyaluronic acid serum

The anatomy of the skin and why we age

If we are to appreciate why the Glow & Skin Hyaluronic acid serum is such a hero product, we first need to understand a little bit about the structure of the skin.

The skin is made up of layers. The outer layer is called the Epidermis, which forms a protective barrier to the outside world, preventing harmful environmental aggressors from getting in, such as chemicals and UV light. It also controls substances from getting out, including water. Loss of water from the skin is known as Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL). 

This two-way system is finely balanced and is known as the Barrier Function of the skin. When it’s working well, the skin is generally healthy, but when the barrier function is compromised it can result in a number of skin problems. 

Below the epidermis lies the Dermis, which is a thicker layer in comparison. The dermis is mainly made up of what’s known as the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) which gives the skin its strength and thickness, keeping it looking young and firm. The main skin cell found in the dermis is called a Fibroblast.

Fibroblasts are incredibly hardworking skin cells, producing a number of things to maintain a firm, hydrated and healthy extracellular matrix. Fibroblasts also play an important role in wound healing.

Fibroblasts production includes.

• Collagen fibres, which make up 90-95% of the protein fibres in the skin’s dermis. 
• Elastin fibres, which make up 5-10% of the protein fibres in the skin’s dermis.
• Growth factors that help with the repair of damaged skin.
• Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) including Hyaluronic acid.

Collagen and elastin fibres give our skin its strength, structure, stretch and support. While hyaluronic acid gives our skin its plumpness and hydration. 

As we age, we have less fibroblasts and their activity slows down, which means we produce less of the good stuff to support a thick, dense extracellular matrix. Even worse, they produce more of the enzymes known as Matrix-degrading Metalloproteinases (MMPs), which ‘munch up’ our collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid!

This leads to skin ageing, and we see loss of firmness, lines and wrinkles as well as dryer skin.

What is Hyaluronic acid?

We’ve learnt that Hyaluronic acid is Glycosaminoglycan, produced by the fibroblast cells and crucial in maintaining a healthy extracellular matrix. Hyaluronic acid is an humectant, which means that it can attract water. A hyaluronic acid molecule can attract up to one thousand times its own weight in water. This makes it a super hydrator giving the skin its fullness and rounded shape. Hyaluronic acid is also a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties.

From the age of 30, we lose around 1% of our Hyaluronic acid per year, which equates to 10% per decade. Transepidermal water loss increases, and this causes the skin to become dryer and lose its firmness and we start to see visible lines and wrinkles. In simple terms, our skin goes from a nice plump grape to a dried-up old raisin!    

Transepidermal water loss is not just associated with ageing. Certain skin disorders such as acne and rosacea cause disruption of the barrier function and water cannot be retained as easily. 

All skin types benefit from having a daily dose of topical hyaluronic acid, to supplement what the skin is producing naturally and to support a healthy barrier function and extracellular matrix. 

Glow & Skin Hyaluronic acid serum

Getting hyaluronic acid into the skin can be difficult. This is where the Glow & Skin Hyaluronic acid serum is superior to many other hyaluronic acid products on the market. It combines two types of hyaluronic acid, with high and low weight molecules.

What does this mean? Larger hyaluronic acid molecules will have less penetration into the skin and will work in the epidermal layer providing visible hydration. Smaller, or lower molecular weight hyaluronic acid, will penetrate through the lipid barrier of the skin - due to the specialised delivery system in the Glow & Skin hyaluronic acid serum – into the deeper layers where it can hydrate the skin and support the extracellular matrix and stimulate fibroblast activity.

Without this combination of high and low molecular weight, hyaluronic acid will not be able to actively improve skin health. 

Key benefits of the Glow & Skin hyaluronic acid serum

The pure Hyaluronic acid LH Serum comes in a 30ml glass bottle with a pipette to administer the exact dose to the skin without waste. The two forms of hyaluronic acid, both low and high molecular weight, ensure direct hydration of both the superficial and deep layers of the skin. It smoothes and plumps, giving a flawless, oil-free base and providing an extra burst of hydration for drier skin types when layered with other products.

When used in conjunction with the Glow & Skin Iconic Facial, penetration of the pure Hyaluronic acid serum can be significantly boosted, giving superior results and efficacy.    

With the Smart Hydration technology, the Glow & Skin hyaluronic acid serum is absorbed easily to instantaneously recharge moisture levels and restore the skin’s suppleness. 

Versatile Simplicity. Hyaluronic acid has been known to act as a carrier for other ingredients, which boosts the performance of other products when used together.

• Continuously hydrates dehydrated skin smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. 
• Plumps skin’s appearance so helping where there is loss of fullness.
• Helps to minimise transepidermal water loss.
• Suited for all skin types.
• Increases efficacy of derma roller treatments.

This makes the Glow & Skin  hyaluronic acid serum an essential part of any skin health routine and we just can’t live without it!