Skin care is a massive part of the beauty industry in this current day and age. As women strife to stave off the effects of premature ageing, pharmaceutical companies look further and further a field in a bid to find new ways to create products designed to help.
The latest of these is Sodium Hyaluronate (sometimes also known as Hyaluronic Acid). Sodium Hyaluronate can already be found in many beauty products aimed at improving the appearance of facial skin.
What is Sodium Hyaluronate? Sodium Hyaluronate is found in neural tissue, connective tissues and skin. It is also a major component in synovial fluid found between joints and helps the process in lubricating them.
As well as lubricating joints, the Hyaluronic Acid also helps play a major role in cartilage, helping to coat each cell, giving the cartilage resilience.
In skin, Sodium Hyaluronate is a natural moisturising factor involved in the repairing of tissue and collagen synthesis. Its production though decreases with age contributing to making the skin look less moisturised, less supple and adding to the appearance of wrinkles.
Tests have shown that someone with a Hyaluronic Acid deficiency in the body is more likely to age prematurely, as the skins is missing out on a vital component used to protect it against harmful sun damage.
A popular treatment Sodium Hyaluronate can be delivered into the skin via an injection. The aim is for the acid to smooth any wrinkles and add volume to the skin. The effects of the treatment though are only temporary and last just six months.
Injection though is not the only the way of taking Sodium Hyaluronate, it can also be taken in oral supplements such as pills, creams and serums.
By having being able to hold more than 1000 times its weight in water Hyaluronic Acid acts as an excellent addition to moisturisers for its ability to draw water into the skin.
The body is unable to absorb Hyluronic Acid, because of large molecular weights; this has led many manufacturers to claim that their supplements and products have a low molecular weight, thus making it far more popular to take orally.
The facial injection treatment has been used for the past seven years with some believing that it may be the key to life longevity. Many choose to utilise the treatment even though there have been inconclusive results as regards to whether it is the next big product on the beauty market.
Side effects for oral application of Sodium Hyaluronate have not yet been discovered.
The injection method though offers the same kind of pain as another anti-ageing injection treatment such as botox. Redness and swelling on the areas that have been injected are commonly present for a short period of time after the treatment but see a gradual reduction.
There have been some reported side effects for this particular type of treatment; these have been seen in some, but not all patients. Although widely available, it is important to research the product in some depth before using it, this could be done by reading the label or even consulting a doctor.