Hyaluronic acid revolutionizing skin care

(SWEEPS FEED)- Alexis Marcus had tried everything when it came to treating her acne but everything she tried only dried out her skin.

“I really struggled between finding that balance between keeping the oils but also not over-drying the skin.”

Then her dermatologist suggested she try something different. A new over-the-counter cleanser containing hyaluronic acid.

“Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance found in the skin. Together with collagen and elastin it forms the foundation for skin structure, texture and tone,” said Ron Robinson with beautystat.com.

Robinson says when applied topically, hyaluronic acid can act like a moisture magnet.

“It actually pulls in moisture from the air so it hydrates the surface of the skin, literally absorbing over 1,000 times its weight in water,” Robinson said.

That can be great for those with problem skin said dermatologist and author of the book “Skin Rules,” Debra Jaliman.

“Let’s say you’re acne prone or you’re oily or you’re prone to blackheads or whiteheads, you can have hyaluronic acid in a product, you can get the moisturization without clogging your pores and getting breakouts,” Jaliman said.

While once the ingredient could only be found in a few high end products, now it’s hitting the mainstream. With drugstore brands like Olay, Neutrogena and others including the ingredient in their lines.

In fact, one study recently projected the hyaluronic acid market to become a $10.8 billion industry by 2020.

“Hyaluronic acid can be found in facial moisturizers, night creams, eye creams-even in makeup primers and foundations,” Robinson said.

Since hyaluronic acid is naturally occurring in our skin, Jaliman says the products can work for anyone and she says there’s little chance of allergic reaction.

But she warns not all products may contain the same amount of the active ingredient they’re advertising, so it’s important to read the labels.

“You want to look on the ingredient list to see what number ingredient is it in. In other words, if it’s the last ingredient then it may just have a small amount of hyaluronic acid,” Jaliman said.

As for Alexis, she’s been using her hyaluronic cleanser for a month now and says she’s definitely seen a difference.

“My acne has actually improved and I’ve really found a difference in the consistency of my skin. I’m definitely getting the balance between having that hydration but also not having that over-oil production and clogging.”

Scientists are currently working to make hyaluronic acid even more effective by shrinking the size of the molecules to better penetrate the skin.