Hyaluronic acid hydrates and plumps up skin, giving you a youthful and radiant glow. By brightening the skin, it can help mask darkness under the eyes.
Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid can smooth away the appearance of those imperfections underneath the eyes, making your eyes look bright and lively—and that can transform your complexion.
Try a Hyaluronic Acid Serum
"Hydrating the skin around the eyes plumps it up so that wrinkles are less pronounced." One to try is the Vichy Minéral 89 Eyes Hyaluronic Acid Eye Gel Cream ($24, ulta.com), which is also formulated with caffeine to help give the appearance of a brighter and more awake look.
Conclusions: Hyaluronic acid filler is an effective means of rejuvenating the upper eyelid and is particularly successful in patients with medial/generalized upper eyelid hollowing, or significant postblepharoplasty upper eyelid show.
The good news is that there's a solution for this plight—it's called eye serum. The best formulas—those rich in antioxidants and skin-thickening ingredients like peptides or niacinamide—work to conceal dark circles, depuff swollen lids, and fill in wrinkles and fine lines.
“Glycolic acid is highly effective for rejuvenating the skin,” says Dr Goldman, cosmetic surgeon in Perth, Australia. “While hyaluronic acid helps in hydrating your skin, glycolic acid exfoliates dead skin cells,” he explains.
Is It Safe To Layer Hyaluronic Acid Skin Care And Makeup? The answer is yes. Since hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule — not actually an acid as its name may imply — that already exists in our skin it's safe to use hyaluronic acid skin care and makeup together.
Second, avoid anything with harsh ingredients like alcohol and fragrance, or anything with a high acid concentration. “The majority of over-the-counter (OTC) cosmetic creams, lotions, and serums are water based and contain less than 2 percent hyaluronic acid,” Frey explains.
According to the experts, the hero ingredient actually needs to be applied to damp skin in order to work. In fact, applying it to a dry face can have the opposite effect of what is intended, and actually leave skin more dehydrated. "Hyaluronic acid is a moisture magnet," says Allies of Skin founder Nicolas Travis.
And here lies the key: Hyaluronic acid should be used in a moisturizer in order for it to work—when you add moisture to the skin, you're giving the HA added water to absorb and hold onto, rather than pulling moisture out of dry skin.
The fantastic anti-aging weapon
Glycolic acid is the most popular alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) used in skin care. It comes from sugar cane, and is the smallest AHA, so it's the most effective at getting into the skin. Glycolic acid is a fantastic anti-aging agent that seems to do it all.
What Are the Benefits of Combining the Two? Good news: Retinol and hyaluronic acid actually have a synergistic effect. “They can be combined so that the benefits of retinol can be achieved more easily with concomitant use of hyaluronic acid, which helps to prevent retinol irritation,” says Hartman.
Hyaluronic acid is best if they're looking to moisturize dry skin, while retinol works better by encouraging better skin by boosting collagen production. They have several benefits that can work in tandem for better results, though patients need to be careful with the exact formulations they use.
No matter which form you choose to incorporate your hyaluronic acid, it should be close to the final step in your routine. If you are using it in serum form, you'll apply it immediately after your retinol. If it is part of your moisturizer, it will be your last step.
How to Use Them Together. Dr. Van Dyke recommended using hyaluronic acid morning and night after cleansing when the skin is still damp and to leave your retinol application for just once a day at night.
When using hyaluronic acid and retinol, apply retinol first, then hyaluronic acid.
Yup! "Hyaluronic acid is safe and beneficial to use everyday for maintaining skin hydration," says Dr. Russak. You just need to make sure you're applying it correctly.
The way you want to use hyaluronic acid in a skincare routine is to start by cleansing your face with a nice simple cleanser. And then, with slightly damp skin or even slightly wet skin, apply the hyaluronic acid serum to your face followed by a moisturizer and sunscreen (during the day).
Combining the two makes for a great all-in-one skin care step. “Hyaluronic acid and vitamin C are commonly used together because they complement each other to hydrate, protect, and repair aging skin,” says Zeichner.
Hyaluronic Acid helps reduce the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles retaining moisture to the skin, creating a plumping effect. When the skin is protected and hydrated, increased skin cell production can take place, as the skin isn't busy fighting for hydration. This leads to smoother, plumper skin cells.
Yes! In fact, research shows that the oral intake of HA can reduce the depth of wrinkles, improve rough skin, add elasticity, and increase overall hydration of the skin.
Don't Mix: AHA/BHA acids with retinol. "I strongly caution those also using retinoids for acne or anti-aging as the combination with various acids may cause excessive skin sensitivity, irritation, and redness. In fact, AHA and BHA should not typically be used together with retinoids on the same day," explains Dr.
Hyaluronic acid will draw moisture from wherever it can find it to hydrate the surface of your face, including the deeper layers of your skin if there is no humidity in the air." Which is to say, too much hyaluronic acid can leave skin thirstier, and dehydration lines more prominent.
There needs to be a layer of lipids — like those found in your moisturizer or facial oil — on top to serve as a barrier, especially if you're in a dry climate or your skin is naturally dry. Otherwise, the hyaluronic acid will actually start to draw moisture from your skin, which makes it feel tight and dry.
Hyaluronic acid is a type of dermal filler ingredient that may be used for the lips. If you're interested in using HA injections to add volume to the lips and decrease the appearance of wrinkles, consider speaking with a board-certified cosmetic surgeon.