A Need For Hyaluronic Acid
Tarrah Bouts
What if I told you that I could make your skin INSTANTLY glow, and it would not do any damage? Would you be even more excited if I told you that this instant glow could also reduce the look of fine lines and make your skin more plump? Do you think you would believe me? Let me share one of our top secret ingredients and tricks of the trade in these next few paragraphs, and then you can decide for yourself!
When our skin is at its peak performance, you will find that your Acid Mantle (what I like to call this invisible force field, like a coat of armor on the outermost layer of your skin) is in a perfectly balanced ratio of 1:1:1 with these key elements- Water:Lipids:Ceramides. Today’s topic is all about the WATER element, and what you can do daily, weekly, and monthly, to help your skin look and perform at its best!
The problem with WATER and the skin, is that our bodies actually don’t “make” water, we have to supply it to our skin! And I want you to think of your skin like a giant sponge as we are learning about water in the skin. We all know a couple of key points when we are using a sponge: 1) a damp sponge works better than a dry sponge (hydrated skin performs better!) and 2) when we do get a sponge wet, the water will evaporate fairly quick (same with our skin, and that’s where we lose the WATER in the ratio!)
A 3 part lesson on what we can do and why, to check those boxes in optimum skin health and performance:
Giving our skin water is more involved than splashing the skin with water or even drinking more water than you already consume. (although, you will see a difference if you are truly drinking enough water for your body!) Hyaluronic acid is in the humectant family of ingredients, and these ingredients act like a “moisture magnet” to attract water! Hyaluronic acid, when applied to the skin, finds free water from 2 main sources: the ambient moisture in the air/humidity, and from the dermis, which is a deeper layer to your skin. For best results, apply hyaluronic to skin that is slightly damp (from water or from your toner or essence), apply a moisturizer with a heavier water content directly over the Hyaluronic Acid, and keep drinking plenty of water!
Hyaluronic Acid works to keep your skin’s natural barrier (AKA the Acid Mantle or “coat of armor”) in tip top shape! When the skin is balanced, it is healthy, and all the functions of the skin work best! This ranges from healthier collagen production and protection of collagen, to normalized cell proliferation/turnover, to even allowing your other active products or skincare services and treatments to give you the best results! That is the peak performance we are talking about!
When our skin is out of balance or we don’t have the correct mix of ingredients, that is when our skin loses water through evaporation. As the water evaporates and leaves, so do additional active ingredients found in your other products! This can occur before those active ingredients have had adequate time to do the job that you placed them there to do! By having enough water, and then “sealing” the water and other active ingredients in with the right lipids and ceramides, your skin will have an immediate glow, along with long term benefits like plump collagen, reduced redness, and reduced fine lines!
Your esthetician can help you navigate the best Hyaluronic Acid serum or products to use daily, and we even offer no charge consultations for this! (Ask our front desk team how!) This can be as simple as a daily serum layered in your current routine, or a weekly mask applied after you cleanse your skin. In the treatment room, be sure to also ask about our Nano Mask Upgrade, or our newest Glow Booster addition! For only $15, you will be instantly glowing, skin looking plump and radiant, and still achieving those long term goals for healthy and anti-aging skin!