Hyaluronic Acid in a Few Words
Our Skin
We can divide the skin into 3 main layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis. Each of these layers has specific cellular and non-cellular components, which are regulated by a series of factors that determine their proliferation and maintenance. The balance between factors such as skin pH, the type III/type I collagen ratio, levels of certain hormones like estrogens, cellular age, among others, is fundamental for determining the youthful characteristics of our skin. Aesthetic treatments, such as hyaluronic acid injections, are aimed at modulating these characteristics to reduce, modulate, and sometimes reverse skin deterioration.
The concept of biostimulating treatments — referring to those aimed at activating biological functions in the skin to optimize its physiology and achieve aesthetic improvement — has become one of the most sought-after aesthetic-medical treatments today. The use of hyaluronic acid can be considered beneficial for improving both the biological state, due to type III collagen formation, and the aesthetic state of the skin, making it an ideal treatment for patients of any age.
What Is Hyaluronic Acid?
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a natural substance in the body first described in 1934 by John Palmer and Karl Meyer. HA is produced by the body’s cells and plays a fundamental role in various functions, such as the cell division process, skin elasticity, joint lubrication, among others. HA is one of the few elements that is virtually identical in all living organisms.
In 2003, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved the use of the first hyaluronic acid dermal filler for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles. In recent years, numerous products have been developed from this natural substance, both for therapeutic and aesthetic purposes.
What Are the Properties of Hyaluronic Acid?
In its natural form, HA is a liquid composed of individual chains that are broken down by the body in just 12 hours. HA has a remarkable ability to bind large amounts of water, absorbing more than 1000 times its weight. Additionally, this compound can combine with collagen and elastin — a union that provides elasticity and volume to the skin.
The body’s HA is metabolized rapidly and must be constantly produced by cells. Skin aging, exposure to oxidants, environmental pollutants, and ultraviolet rays are factors that reduce the cells’ ability to produce this compound, resulting in reduced skin volume and consequent wrinkle formation.
The Current Market for Hyaluronic Acids
Today, the pharmaceutical industry offers a wide variety of hyaluronic acids. To better understand their effects on the skin and their main indications in aesthetic medicine, we can classify them as cross-linked and non-cross-linked HA. The former, whose three-dimensional structure resembles a mesh, have undergone a chemical cross-linking process of individual HA chains, resulting in a gel whose firmness depends on the degree of cross-linking.
Cross-linking of HA ensures that the body eliminates it more slowly, resulting in longer-lasting aesthetic effects. This is why cross-linked HA is used by aesthetic medicine professionals to temporarily replace the loss of this substance and restore lost volume in the face or other body areas, improving facial and body contours and resulting in a more rejuvenated appearance.
A very common term among aesthetic medicine professionals is “fillers,” referring to medical devices formulated with cross-linked hyaluronic acid whose main indication is to serve as a filler for correcting various aesthetic concerns characterized by loss of facial volume.
Skin Esthetic Pearls – A Critical Look
The introduction of HA treatments has represented a major advance in the field of aesthetic medicine, especially concerning biostimulation. The versatility of this product has allowed it to adapt to the growing needs of people and be of great value in practically any aesthetic-medical treatment.
Today, we find HA formulations specific for correcting aesthetic concerns and rejuvenating almost any area of the face, as well as body — for example, gluteal modeling or abdominal contours are now possible.
In the early days of aesthetic medicine, these treatments were unthinkable, but over the years, the safety and efficacy of this product have cemented its quasi-irreplaceable presence in the market, making it the most demanded treatment.
The horizon of aesthetic medicine reveals that the future of hyaluronic acid is aimed at seeking proportions and features that preserve naturalness, as well as providing patients with better skin quality, which ultimately translates into improved health for users of aesthetic medicine.
Clínica Skin Esthetic
Aesthetic medicine performed in unauthorized centers by personnel lacking proper training and qualification poses a serious risk to patient health. At Skin Esthetic, we are an Advanced Aesthetic Medicine Clinic. We perform aesthetic-medical procedures with high scientific rigor, by a duly qualified team, always focused on preserving the natural look that only you can have. Remember, at Skin Esthetic we work so that your only concern is thinking:
Why didn’t I do this sooner…?