Saturday, March 14, 2009

Hyaluronic Acid for Skin & Hair – Experiment Conclusion

Hyaluronic acid for skin & hair - experiment conclusion
Collagen is responsible for skin strength and elasticity. (Photo by Silvio Tanaka)

This is the conclusion of my hyaluronic acid experiment.

For the past month, I've been taking 100 mg of hyaluronic acid daily (along with 200 mg chondroitin sulfate and 600 mg hydrolyzed collagen type II). The idea was to see whether it improved skin quality and affected hair growth, as suggested by some anecdotal evidence.

As with most of the stuff I've tested and written about on this blog, the results were disappointing. Or perhaps disappointing is the wrong word, since I was not really expecting much. In any case, I saw no effect from taking hyaluronic acid, neither positive nor negative. Skin looks as usual, hair grows as usual. All quiet on the western front.

One reason for lack of effects may be that the experiment was shorter than usual this time. Perhaps longer periods of use are needed to see results. And even though the label on the package says to only take 100 mg per day, some of the anecdotal evidence seems to be based on much higher daily intake and even non-oral methods of delivery.

However, taking even 100 mg of hyaluronic acid daily is not exactly cheap, so doubling or tripling the amount would make quite a dent in your budget. Even then it's anyone's guess whether you'll see results. Personally, I would look elsewhere for skin care products.

In case you are interested in trying it for yourself, the brand I used was Doctor's Best Hyaluronic Acid with Chondroitin Sulfate, which I purchased from iHerb.com. If you want to order from there and it's your first time, use coupon code "NEN423" for a $5 discount on any product. This 60 capsule bottle still seems to be the cheapest one I can find at the moment.

Maybe if the prices on hyaluronic acid go down (it's fairly new and not that well known at the moment, which may explain the cost) I'll try it again. For now, however, it's time to move on to new and improved experiments.

For more information on skin care and hair growth, see these posts:

Emu Oil and Hair Growth: A Critical Look at the Evidence
Topical Vitamin C, Vitamin E & Ferulic Acid – Experiment Conclusion
How to Get Natural Sun Protection by Eating the Right Foods
2% Nizoral Shampoo Increases Hair Growth More than 2% Minoxidil



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4 kommenttia:

Anonymous September 20, 2011 at 6:57 PM  

You do need to use it for more than a month to see results.I've had results in 3 months. Some people have said 4 months for them. I use the same brand. Also found it alleviates my chronic lower back pain. One month is simply to short to expect results with hair and skin. It takes time.

Nice Hair June 14, 2012 at 11:27 PM  

Since you are experimenting more for skin/hair benefit, why not try a topical serum for 3 months to see what results you get? This would cost about the same as the supplements.

The science is quite straight forward in terms of how it benefits the skin and this is becoming a fairly common ingredient in skin care and anti-aging products.

It is also used to combat hair loss in one of the world's biggest selling hair loss products (Kevis).

Great blog by the way -- I'll subscribe and follow.

Unknown March 26, 2013 at 4:55 PM  

If you want a cheaper source for 100 mg hyaluronic capsules, go to pipingrock.com where they sell 120 capsules for about $25 plus FREE shipping.

Anonymous May 1, 2014 at 7:42 PM  

I get mine through a liquid hair vitanin I found on Amazon called nzuri elixir liquid hair vitamin and growth stimulant. It has both collagen hydrosolate and hyaluronic acid. They suggested you drink it and apply niightly with cotton ball. Well I promise you it really does work. Everywhere I go people compliment my hair and especially my complexion and I am a Caucasion from the hot desert of Arizona!

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