What Is the Hyaluronic Acid Found in Dermal Fillers?

Volume-adding injectables are a popular cosmetic treatment all around the United States, remaining near the top of lists of aesthetic options in terms of numbers of treatments performed each year, based on surveys of medical providers and patients. Many of the most commonly administered fillers have a hyaluronic acid-based formula, including Restylane®and Juvederm®. The Little Rock area-based team at Dermatology Group of Arkansas regularly meets with patients who want to enjoy the benefits of these treatments, but who also want to know more about what goes into the injectables themselves.

With that in mind, here is a closer look at hyaluronic acid, including its role in the body and how it worksto address signs of aging that develop over time due to volume loss.

What Is Hyaluronic Acid?

Healthy and youthful skin is abundant in several key elements, including the proteins elastin, which keeps it “stretchy” and pliant, and collagen, which gives it fullness and shape. Another important molecule is hyaluronic acid, a sugar that is especially good at binding to water. A single hyaluronic acid molecule can bond to 1,000 times its own weight in water, making HA—as hyaluronic acid is unofficially known—a key component of the skin’s ongoing hydration and moisturization.

Hyaluronic acid is not unique to the skin. In fact, it is made althroughout the body—virtually anywhere hydration and fluid is needed. The sugar makes up the liquid inside of eyes and gives joints the lubrication they need in order to function properly.

While the body maintains HA levels where needed, the molecule breaks down in the skin over time—and the processes responsible for making new and fresh hyaluronic acid slow down. This leads to a reduction in HA levels in the skin starting around a person’s 20s, which is when signs of aging begin to develop. By the time a person reaches their 30s and 40s, the effects of this loss become increasingly apparent.

Without the valuable moisture hyaluronic acid provides, skin becomes drier, thinner, and more prone to showing wrinkles and revealing hollows. The change is also coupled with a corresponding loss in collagen and elastin, resulting in a sunken look, skin laxity and sagging, the formation of creases, and more.

How Do Hyaluronic Acid-Based Dermal Fillers Work?

Over time, scientists have developed injectable forms of hyaluronic acid, which is based on the same molecule made by the skin. The formula typically yields a clear gel that is thicker than a liquid, but still malleable. When introduced into areas low on collagen and HA—such as the midface or the regions to the side of the mouth and nose—this gel literally fills in the space beneath the skin’s surface.

By pushing out the surface in the same way natural collagen and HA would, injectable dermal fillers provide a smoother look, as well as help to address sagging. Manufacturing processes that have been refined for years have allowed for the creation of HA gel that can last in place for months to years. Injections of gel made in high-motion areas, such as the lips and around the mouth, tend to break down a bit more quickly, giving volume that lasts for about six months. Contouring the chin and jawline or adding roundness to the apples of the cheeks can provide results that last for up to two years.

The skill of the injector, the specific brand and formulation used, a patient’s natural metabolism, lifestyle factors, and other elements all contribute to the longevity of the results.

Patients who want to enjoy their rejuvenated appearance for longer can get new injections of hyaluronic acid-based filler as needed. The treatment is very repeatable, and it pairs well with other options, such as wrinkle-relaxing neuromodulators that target crow’s feet and other dynamic wrinkles.

To find out more information about hyaluronic acid’s role in the skin, injectable dermal fillers, and facial treatments in general, contact Dermatology Group of Arkansas online. Anyone interested can also call 501-227-8422.