Ingredient Spotlight:
Hyaluronic Acid
Many of my patients come to see me, fondly reminiscing about their younger days of youthful, glowing skin. It was plump, resilient, and supple. They ask me what causes these changes to happen as we age. And the answer is simple. When we are younger, our skin has higher water content. When we age, our skin does not have the ability to retain water and produce moisture as it did years ago.
Big skincare brands will tell you that all of that can be restored by slathering on heavy moisturizers, but the truth is that is not the answer. And the higher price tag of a moisturizer does not mean you’ll see better results either.
The truth is, with proper skin health and skin supplementation-like using effective ingredients in your daily skin care, you CAN regain that youthful appearance and suppleness.
Cell Turnover
The number one key to supple healthy skin is active skin cell turnover. This is done by effectively chemically exfoliating the dead skin cells from the surface. This helps to prevent drying while also helping to keep the skin’s natural moisture production and retention! See the connection here? When we take this necessary step in our routine, there are fewer dead skin cells on the surface of the skin to take water and more natural hyaluronic acid production in the skin to attract water.
Add in our Mikel Kristi Vital A Rejuvenating Serum, with retinaldehyde, to aid in exfoliation and natural moisture production.
Hyaluronic Acid (HA)
If you follow skincare trends, then I am sure you have heard of this key ingredient. HA is what you can supplement your skin with to hydrate topically. The main goal of most moisturizers is to act as an occlusive while decreasing the water loss from the dead cells on the surface of the skin, or as a humectant to increase the water content of those same cells through water-attracting agents. Hyaluronic Acid (HA), which absorbs 1000 times its weight in water, is an ingredient commonly used in many moisturizers. However, for any ingredient to effectively create change in the skin, it needs to be able to penetrate the skin’s barrier, be absorbed into the skin, and reach the cells it’s designed to help. HA, in its primary form, has a high molecular weight which is prohibitive to skin penetration, and in this state acts more as an occlusive moisturizer that decreases water loss. For optimal penetration, HA needs to have a lower molecular weight, or better yet, contain a derivative of HA called sodium hyaluronate. Sodium hyaluronate is a salt of HA that can penetrate deeply into the skin, where it can attract water to plump and hydrate the skin’s cells.
Mikel Kristi Products with HA:
Great moisturizing ingredients are not always best delivered in the form of lotions or creams. Our Vital C Repair Serum offers a concentrated dose of sodium hyaluronate. This serum is light and silky with ingredients not only for hydration but also for brightening and antioxidant protection. Our Bio Peptide Hydrating Lotion also offers sodium hyaluronate, along with powerful peptides, in a light and luxurious anti-aging lotion.
At Mikel Kristi, we value the science behind our ingredients. Our bio-active cosmeceutical products will deliver results you’re going to love.
Here's to facing every day with confidence!
Xo, Christy
Jan Knight
June 13, 2022
I love this article. I use some products from MK but also use a couple from other makers, but fewer and fewer as I try to move totally to MK. I appreciate knowing HOW something works as well as WHY. Thank you.