"If you have dry, irritated skin that is lacking in moisture, choosing a product with hyaluronic acid would be my recommendation," Hartman says. "Anyone with acne-prone skin, or someone who is looking to even out tone and fine lines and wrinkles would benefit from using retinol."
Hyaluronic acid is best if they're looking to moisturize dry skin, while retinol works better by encouraging better skin by boosting collagen production. They have several benefits that can work in tandem for better results, though patients need to be careful with the exact formulations they use.
Can hyaluronic acid and retinol be used together? Unlike many other skin care ingredients out there, hyaluronic acid and retinol can be used in the same skincare routine. Not only that, but using them together can help to lessen the severity of the side effects that often come with retinol usage.
Hyaluronic acid has beneficial properties when used on your skin. It's especially useful for reducing the appearance of wrinkles and age lines.
Also known as retinoic acid, tretinoin is about 20 times more potent than retinol. It's stronger because retinoic acid is a form of vitamin A that acts directly on the skin to boost cell renewal, turnover, and DNA damage repair.
Retinol can penetrate deep into your skin's layers to activate collagen and elastin, which give your skin structure and support to prevent wrinkles. You can apply products that contain retinoids at home directly onto your skin as you would a lotion or a moisturizer.
Glycolic acid is a fantastic anti-aging agent that seems to do it all. It's very effective at exfoliating skin and reducing fine lines, preventing acne, fading dark spots, increasing skin thickness, and evening out skin tone and texture.
And it appears to work: The researchers found that participants who took 120 milligrams of hyaluronic acid per day for 12 weeks improved their skin wrinkles and their overall skin condition.
Hyaluronic acid should be layered before retinol in case of dry or sensitive skin, as it helps create a barrier between retinol and your skin, offsetting irritation. Must-mention: let your hyaluronic acid serum dry before following with retinol as, if applied to damp skin, there's a higher risk of redness and dryness.
Good news: Retinol and hyaluronic acid actually have a synergistic effect. “They can be combined so that the benefits of retinol can be achieved more easily with concomitant use of hyaluronic acid, which helps to prevent retinol irritation,” says Hartman.
Using Hyaluronic Acid and Retinol Together
Use a gentle retinol product! It should be applied at nighttime, before bed. Use the hyaluronic acid product in the morning. If used together, wait at least 30 minutes before applying your retinol product after hyaluronic acid.
Those with stubborn skin concerns, like deep wrinkles and pronounced uneven skin tone may want to consider a high percentage retinol cream, serum or treatment. But what percentage of retinol is effective? Look for formulations with a percentage between 0.3% and 1%, with retinol 1% being the strongest option.
While vitamin C is most notable for helping to brighten and improve hyperpigmentation, retinol is typically considered best-in-class for wrinkles and fine lines. And if you really want to give your skin a one-two punch to get noticeably healthier, you can certainly try incorporating both into your routine.
If you're looking for more-dramatic results, a dermatologist can recommend medical treatments for wrinkles, including prescription creams, botulinum toxin (Botox) injections or skin-resurfacing techniques.
People in Korea are less into facial fillers and favor injectables that replenish and boost collagen production on a cellular level, like Sculptra, Dr. Lee says. Consequently, hyaluronic acid-filled syringes, like Restylane and Juvéderm, are more likely used to help moisturize the skin on a cellular level.
Hyaluronic acid is well known for its skin benefits, especially alleviating dry skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and speeding up wound healing. It can also help relieve joint pain in people with osteoarthritis.
If you want to smooth fine lines and wrinkles and tighten saggy skin, glycolic acid is a superhero in doing just that. Glycolic acid works as an antiaging product by regenerating collagen production.
For topical products, hyaluronic acid is the clear winner. Building collagen takes time and other methods, but it will give you the most long-term and visible results to prevent wrinkles and improve skin elasticity and strength overall.