Hyaluronic Acid......Magic or Madness

​So here it is, my new blog for anyone that wants to understand or know more about good skincare and makeup techniques. My first article had to be about hyaluronic acid. The reason I chose this particular subject is that I’ve been using it for over a year and I cannot say enough good things about it. Now, just to contradict myself, the first thing to say is that it’s not a miracle worker. It doesn’t give you instant wrinkle removing effects after one use. It will never remove wrinkles completely (even surgery is time limited) so don’t think I’m announcing the next elixir of youth. It’s just a great product that’s relatively cheap to buy, easy to source and can form part of a simple skincare/beauty routine for anyone. You also shouldn’t be misled or put off by the term “acid”. Plenty of research backs up what many people now know is a product that can improve skin hydration, helps production of collagen, fights those pesky free radical cells,* helps maintain skin elasticity and even has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help with wound healing.

Wrinkles, Crinkles and Lines. Once creases and wrinkles had appeared at the outsides of my eyes (yep, crow’s feet),  those horrid “No. 11 lines” were starting to grab at my foundation in between my eyebrows, not to mention the not very funny "laughter lines", well  that was the catalyst for my conversation with a dermatologist at work one day. It’s important to say blogging isn’t my career, I’m an amateur writer and by day work in the NHS. I’ve built up some useful healthcare contacts over the years and didn’t hesitate to call on a skin expert that could advise of me how to rid myself of these face changers………. well, at least tell me the name of a good moisturiser.

Great advice. The first thing the dermatologist said was “Don’t buy an expensive moisturiser”. Music to my ears. But followed it up with “moisturising alone does a lot less at your age”……When I’d recovered from that little nugget she went on to explain what she recommends for anyone over 40. The skin is an organ and like anything on your body that’s made of cells, it needs hydration both from the inside and out and that’s a priority, so if you don’t hydrate yourself (and your skin) all the moisturiser in the world does little to help you. A clear reminder in other words for us to drink plenty of water (plenty = 8 glasses/2.5 litres per day). I’ll talk more about this subject in future blogs, but for now……the hyaluronic acid part. She explained that if you cleansed your skin (washed your face thoroughly) you had the perfect canvas to then apply hyaluronic acid as the first step before applying a moisturiser. Just a couple of drops, on dry skin, rub around key areas you’re not happy with, or all over your face. Wait for it to dry (around 10-20 seconds). You’ll notice it changes from a lightweight serum to something almost watery (because of your body heat). Nothing happens straight away. It takes around 2 weeks before you’ll notice the changes but be patient. It’s simply a product that is known to hold around 1000 times its own weight in moisture/water, captures and takes moisture down further into your skin and is a great way to deliver hydration. Sounded cuckoo to me to be honest, but it made me go away and do my own research.​




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​Magic or Madness?    The results I’ve seen are a significant reduction in the appearance of my wrinkles, particularly those around my eyes and mouth. I truly wish I’d done some before and after photographs, so I could show you the extent of the changes. They are all now much finer, at times almost invisible. Along with that, I’ve learned great makeup techniques and those “serious crinkles” are almost a thing of the past. But again, it’s not ever going to make them disappear – it’s just a great magic trick. Of course I have increased how much water I also drink each day (but I’m not up to the 2.5.litres level yet) and that must also help my skin look better. The test for me came when I forgot to take my bottle of magic with me on a weekend away in France. Three days without it – what happened? Well, put simply, my wrinkles appeared more pronounced, foundation grabbed and formed into those lines and honestly, it aged me. I came home and it’s the first thing I made a beeline for……so for me it really is a bottle of magic. And who doesn’t want some of that at their fingertips?

*See more about what free radical cells are    Here 

​Top Tip: Buy a clear bottle of hyaluronic  - you need to be able to see how much you’ve used and some of the dark brown/black bottles leave you guessing.  My bottle of choice is available on Amazon Here but shop around – experiment and find what’s right for you

​Price Guide; £7.99 to £25. 


Useful Links:  What is Hyaluronic acid                           
26 great things about Hylauronic acid
8 Best Hyaluronic serums

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