Brian Jeffrey
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j_7aZtPUcs]
My absolute top focus in my skin-care routine is to have hydrated skin, especially now that it’s wintertime and the air around us is parching. To achieve this, I do many, many things: always apply a dry skin-quenching moisturizer, keep the hot water use in the shower to a minimum, drink a ton of water, and go light on exfoliation. All of this is super helpful, of course, but if you ask a dermatologist for the single best hydrating skin-care ingredient or skin-care product to add to your routine, they’re going to say to use a hyaluronic acid serum.
In our latest episode of Dear Derm, board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, sounds off on HA, which she says is the best skin-care ingredient for hydrating dry skin. “You need ingredients that will hold water within your complexion,” she says. “Hyaluronic acid is most commonly referred to as a moisture magnet because its job is to find water and keep that within the skin.” Hyaluronic acid is a must for boosting and retaining moisture because it holds 1,000 times its weight in H2O (which sounds just about like what everyone’s chapped skin needs this time of year).
That said, it’s helpful to know what you’re looking for when buying a hyaluronic acid-spiked skin-care product. According to Dr. Gohara, it’s essential to find an HA serum with various molecular weights so that you’re hydrating multiple layers of your skin—not just the topmost layer of skin. Learn all about the derm-approved secrets for shopping the it-ingredient for skin hydration, plus her product picks for the ones to buy (fun fact: one of ’em costs only $8). Watch the video for the intel and be sure to subscribe to stay in-the-know on dermatologist skin-care intel.
For more Dear Derm goodness, find out from Dr. Gohara just how to choose a vitamin C serum for your regimen. And here’s a dermatologist-approved skin-care routine that you can buy on the cheap.
Written by: WellGood
