When speaking of hydration, we typically think about quenching our thirst. But full-body hydration means so much more—including supporting your critical physical structures and organs that require plentiful hydration to function at their best. Your joints, eyes, skin, hair, scalp, and gums all require sufficient levels of moisture to do their jobs properly. 

So let’s look at what full body hydration really means by reviewing the 5 Elements of Hydration.

Joints

Your joints provide you with the strength and mobility you need to live, work, and play. Some are also responsible for bearing your weight when you walk, run, climb, or jump. To function at their best, your joints require adequate cushioning and lubrication, which is provided by a substance called synovial fluid—a thick, viscous liquid that can be found in critical joints like the knee, hip, shoulder, and elbow. 

So how do your joints stay hydrated? The answer resides in a miracle molecule called Hyaluronic Acid (HA). Produced naturally by our bodies, HA is a long-chain sugar molecule with an astounding affinity for water. A single HA molecule may bind up to 1000 times its weight in water and can transport that essential moisture to parts of our bodies as needed. HA is an essential component of synovial fluid, localizing and concentrating water to hydrate, cushion, and support our joints. 

Without it, we would experience mobility concerns with normal daily activity. The challenge is that, as you age, your body is not able to produce the same levels of Hyaluronic Acid as it did when you were younger. Yet your joints continue to need similar amounts of cushion and lubrication. Fortunately, supplementation may help.*

Eyes

Our eyes rely on high levels of moisture to function at their best.  A significant portion of the eye’s overall volume is composed of a clear, gel-like liquid called vitreous humor. The vitreous humor helps to maintain the shape of the eye (for proper focus and vision), nourish and lubricate structures such as the cornea and retina, cushion and protect the eye from shock, and supports natural tears.

In the eye, Hyaluronic Acid binds sufficient water to help the eyeball remains plump, cushioned, and nourished. In fact, it has been said that HA may bind up to 95% of the fluid within the eye. And because HA can move freely between the cells, it is also an essential mechanism of transport—a superhighway capable of delivering nutrients and removing byproducts. As you age, a reduction in HA levels may affect your eyes’ ability to function properly. Supplementation may help.*

Skin

The skin is the human body’s largest organ, tasked with protecting us from sun, wind, extreme temperatures, environmental toxins, and potentially harmful microbes. To perform these demanding functions, the skin must remain elastic and resistant to cracking, chapping, or flaking. 

HA uses its water-binding power to provide this critical hydration. In fact half of our bodies’ supply of HA resides in the skin! That’s because the skin is exposed to the elements and is vulnerable due to elements and evaporation. While topical, oil-based moisturizers can nourish the outer (epidermal) skin layer, we rely on HA to nourish the dermal layer that resides below—where our hair follicles and sweat glands are.

Again, as you age, a reduction in HA levels may affect your skin’s ability to remain supple and elastic. Topical and oral supplementation may help.*

Hair & Scalp

The skin on our scalp (the epidermis) is actually less than 1 mm thick and is our first line of protection against environmental damage, toxins, and potentially harmful microbes. Beneath that lies the dermis, your skin’s thickest layer, which is composed of a lattice of HA-rich collagen and elastin fibers that provide the skin with its elasticity and its resilience. Without adequate moisture your scalp becomes dry, and our hair can become brittle, limp, and dull.

Hyaluronic acid nourishes and hydrates the millions of cells deep within the scalp, helping to provide the dermal layer with the moisture it needs. And our hair relies on HA to retain vital nutrients, support new cells, and help defy the effects of environmental damage. HA also works to help support the hair shaft to remain supple, supporting a  lustrous, youthful appearance. 

Ageless Beauty

We all strive to maintain a youthful appearance. To do so, your skin, scalp, and hair all need moisture—the type of moisture provided by Hyaluronic Acid. HA supports your body’s natural ability to maintain collagen and elastin, two proteins essential to maintaining supple, wrinkle-free appearing skin. And as we’ve already discovered, HA helps to nourish and hydrate the hair follicles and supports the hair for an overall youthful appearance. 

*HA Supplementation

You might be wondering, if our bodies produce HA on their own, why do we need supplements and topical skincare? Because as we age, the body’s ability to produce HA decreases. A person over 50 years of age may have only half the HA they did in their mid-20s. HA supplementation helps to support for this natural decrease in HA production, helping to bring back our HA reserves to youthful levels. 

At Hyalogic®, we have studied the science of hydration for two decades, and in that time we’ve learned a lot about the amazing power that HA has to support joint and bone health, lubricate and nourish our eyes, maintain skin suppleness and elasticity appearance, and help to give our hair a lustrous youthful appearance. 

Check out our home page for a complete list of Hyalogic® products for eyes, joints, skin, hair, teeth, gums, and more!