Glycolic, Hyaluronic Acids Aid Skin Texture, Appearance
As people grow older, they often notice that their skin becomes dry and discolored. Glycolic acid and hyaluronic acid may help to alleviate these signs of skin aging.
Derived from sugar cane, glycolic acid is considered the most powerful of the skin-rejuvenating fruit acids called alpha-hydroxy acids. Glycolic acids helps trap moisture in the skin, promote collagen formation, and release the buildup of dead skin cells to reveal brighter, younger-looking skin. Widely used as an anti-aging agent for the skin, glycolic acid has demonstrated its efficacy in numerous studies.
In a three-month study, people who applied topical glycolic acid to the face and neck demonstrated improvements in all assessments of photoaging, including statistically significant gains in general skin texture, color, and wrinkle reduction.
A six-month study with 65 particiants noted an average 27% increase in epidermal thickness in those who used a daily topical glycolic acid cream.33
A study at Yale Medical School also found that applying a glycolic acid cream before exposure to ultraviolet B light helped protect the skin against inflammation and redness (erythema) from sunburn. Daily application of glycolic acid for seven days after sun exposure reduced redness and inflammation by 16%.34 This effect suggests that glycolic acid confers antioxidant effects in the skin.
Another important and innovative ingredient in skin care is hyaluronic acid. A large sugar-like molecule found in every tissue of the body, hyaluronic acid is particularly important to the skins extracellular matrix, where it attracts and binds with water and its gel-like structure provides volume and fullness for the skin. Hyaluronic acid is thus crucial for maintaining smoothness and moisture in the skin.
Hyaluronic acid also stimulates wound healing and helps protect wounds from free-radical damage. A study at the Wound Healing Center in Brescia, Italy, revealed that topically administered hyaluronic acid permeates the skin and provides powerful antioxidant protection against free radicals.36 This bolsters the skins ability to heal from cuts and abrasions.
Glycolic and hyaluronic acids thus provide crucial antioxidant protection to the skin, restoring healthy texture, color, and moisture content.