In the skin, the extracellular matrix is composed of hyaluronic acid and other sulfated GAGs, combined with collagen and elastin. Large amounts of water are held in the ECM. When elastin is not bathed in water, it becomes dry and brittle, thus the look of dry, brittle, wrinkled skin.
Half-life is defined as the time required for one half of the total amount of a particular substance to be consumed, broken down, or depleted. The half-life of hyaluronic acid in the cartilage is 2-3 weeks. But the half-life of hyaluronic acid in the skin is less than 1 day! Hyaluronic acid is present in both the dermis and the epidermis. 50% of the body's naturally produced hyaluronic acid that is found in the epidermis is metabolized and excreted in less than 24 hours. Like hyaluronic acid produced in the body, hyleronic acid taken as a nutritional supplement moisturizes from the dermis to the epidermis - from deeper layers of the skin to the outer layer.
The extracellular matrix fills up the space between the skin cells. This makes the skin soft, smooth and elastic. But as we age, hyaluronic content in the skin changes due to two separate clinically proven factors.
- There is a decrease in synthesis of hyaluronic acid.
- Recompartmentalization - from the epidermis to the dermis.
Both changes leave the epidermis depleted in hyaluronic acid resulting in thinning, aging, and decreased moisture in the skin.
