"Why has my skin suddenly become so dry?"
It's a question many of us start asking as we get older.
Perhaps the moisturiser you've used for years suddenly doesn't seem to be doing enough. Your skin may feel tight after washing. It might look a little duller or feel rougher than it once did. Fine lines can seem more noticeable, particularly when your skin is dry.
And sometimes it feels as though it happened overnight.
Of course, it didn't. Our skin has been changing gradually for years. We simply don't always notice those tiny changes as they're happening.
Our skin doesn't stay the same throughout our lives
Skin is a living organ, and ageing affects its structure and function.
As we get older, changes occur in the epidermis and dermis, as well as in substances such as collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. The skin's barrier function and its ability to retain moisture can also change.
Hormonal changes, genetics, our environment and accumulated sun exposure all play a part. So there isn't one single reason why mature skin can become drier. And there isn't one magic ingredient that can stop it happening.
That's worth saying because skincare advertising sometimes makes ageing sound remarkably simple: this decreases, apply this product, problem solved.
Our bodies are considerably more complicated than that.
Hyaluronic acid is one piece of the puzzle
Hyaluronic acid, usually shortened to HA, occurs naturally in our bodies. It's found in many different tissues, including our skin, eyes and joints.
In the skin, one of HA's particularly interesting characteristics is its relationship with water. It helps create the hydrated environment our skin needs.
But HA in our skin changes as we get older. Researchers have identified age-related differences in the distribution and characteristics of HA in ageing skin, including a significant reduction in epidermal HA.
That doesn't mean "losing HA causes ageing." It means HA is one part of a much larger biological picture. And understanding that distinction helps us understand what an HA skincare product can, and cannot, do.
What does an HA serum actually do?
This is where I think skincare needs to be kept simple.
When we apply hyaluronic acid to our skin, we aren't replacing all the HA that exists naturally inside our bodies. We're using HA topically because it is a humectant.
That sounds terribly scientific, but the basic idea isn't complicated. Humectants attract and hold water. And that makes HA particularly useful when what we're trying to support is skin hydration.
A good Hyaluronic Acid Serum can therefore be a useful step in a skincare routine when skin is beginning to feel drier, tighter or less comfortable.
It won't stop you ageing. It won't permanently remove wrinkles. But helping dry skin stay better hydrated can make a very noticeable difference to how it feels and looks.
And personally, I think that's a far more sensible expectation from a skincare product.
Dry skin can make fine lines look more obvious
This is also where HA acquired some of its reputation as an "anti-ageing" ingredient.
When our skin is dehydrated, fine lines can look more noticeable. Improve the hydration at the surface and skin can look smoother and plumper, which can make some of those lines appear less prominent.
That's quite different from claiming that HA has somehow removed the underlying signs of ageing. The distinction matters.
At Luv Your Age, we're not interested in telling women that every line needs to disappear. Wrinkles aren't an illness. But dry, uncomfortable skin is something we can care for.
How I use Hyaluronic Acid Serum
My own routine is very simple.
After cleansing my face, I apply our low molecular Hyaluronic Acid Serum as my hydration step. I then follow it with Moringa Oil.
For me, the two products have different jobs in the routine. I use HA primarily for hydration, while the Moringa Oil gives my skin the richer moisturising and conditioning feel I particularly enjoy.
And that's about as complicated as I want my daily skincare routine to become. Particularly in the bathroom first thing in the morning!
More isn't necessarily better
One of the traps we can fall into when our skin starts changing is thinking we need to throw more and more products at it.
A cleanser. A toner. Three different serums. Several active ingredients. An eye cream. A moisturiser. An oil. And perhaps something else because someone on Instagram told us we couldn't possibly live without it.
I'm much more interested in asking: what does my skin actually need?
For ageing skin, maintaining hydration is one very sensible place to start. That doesn't require trying to make your skin behave as though it were 25 again. It means recognising that the skin you have today may need something different from the skin you had years ago.
Skincare should change because our skin changes
Perhaps that's the real lesson.
We sometimes keep using the same skincare routine simply because we've always used it. Then we wonder why it doesn't seem to work as well anymore.
But our skin hasn't failed. It has changed. So our skincare can change with it.
For someone experiencing increasing dryness, that may mean using gentler cleansing, paying more attention to moisturising and introducing a hydrating ingredient such as HA. It also means protecting our skin from excessive sun exposure, because skincare isn't only about what comes out of a bottle.
Caring for the skin you're in now
There is something rather freeing about stopping the fight against ageing.
I don't need my skin to look exactly as it did decades ago. I do want it to feel comfortable. I want it hydrated. I want to look after it. And yes, I still want it to look good!
Those things aren't contradictory.
That's why I think of HA as part of maintaining and supporting ageing skin, rather than as some miracle ingredient designed to make ageing disappear.
The question isn't "How do I get my younger skin back?"
Perhaps a better question is: "What does my skin need from me now?"
And if one of the answers is more hydration, hyaluronic acid may be a very useful place to start.
Want to add HA to your routine?
You can learn more about our double-strength Hyaluronic Acid Serum.
A note about skincare and health: changes in skin dryness can be a normal part of ageing, but persistent, severe or sudden dryness can also have other causes. If you're concerned about a significant change in your skin, talk to an appropriate healthcare professional rather than assuming it's simply age. Topical hyaluronic acid is used to support skin hydration; it should not be interpreted as a treatment for joint problems or other changes associated with ageing.
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