Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance found in various parts of your body including your skin, eye fluids, joint fluid and soft connective tissue. It is also available in synthetic forms that include injectable and topical gels, lotions and injectable solutions. You may receive some form of hyaluronic acid for treatment of a wide variety of conditions including osteoarthritis and several types of skin damage.
Knee Arthritis
Natural hyaluronic acid helps provide protection for your joints. If you develop the wear-and-tear-associated form of arthritis called osteoarthritis in your knees, the hyaluronic acid in your affected joints will thin, leading to a decrease in the acid's protective abilities. Your doctor can boost your natural hyaluronic acid levels with a synthetic form of the acid that's injected directly into your knees. While this treatment is typically expensive, it can significantly reduce your arthritis-related pain for as long as six months to a year.
Facial Scars and Lines
In your skin, natural hyaluronic acid has a number of responsibilities including skin hydration, transport of nutrients from your bloodstream to your skin, and skin cushioning and lubrication. If you have acne scars or certain other types of facial scars, use of hyaluronic acid injections can help reduce the appearance of any skin depression and normalize your overall skin contours. You may also benefit from hyaluronic acid injections if you have certain skin changes related to aging or tobacco use including worry lines, crow's feet, smoker's lines, frown lines and marionette lines.
Skin Injuries
You may receive topical forms of hyaluronic acid as part of a treatment plan for various forms of skin ulcers including venous stasis ulcers, pressure sores, arterial ulcers and diabetic ulcers, according to Drugs.com. Additional uses for this form of hyaluronic acid include treatment of cuts, abrasions, first- or second-degree burns, post-operative incisions and skin donation sites. Typically, products used for these purposes come as dressings that provide direct skin protection and prevent drying of skin tissue.
Additional Uses
You may also receive hyaluronic acid injections during a variety of eye surgeries including corneal transplants, cataract extractions and retinal reattachments. In addition, you may receive topical forms of the acid to treat symptoms of scaled, dry skin. Doctors also sometimes adapt hyaluronic acid injections for off-label uses such as treatment of certain types of pain in your lumbar spine and treatment of osteoarthritis in your hips, jaw joints or hands.
Considerations
Hyaluronic acid is more or less chemically identical regardless of its source, and allergic reactions to treatment are rare, according to the New Zealand Dermatological Society. However, depending on its intended treatment purpose, your doctor may not be able to safely use a hyaluronic acid product if you have allergies to poultry or poultry products, allergies to gram-positive bacterial proteins, skin diseases or infections at the treatment site, or a history of the severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Consult your doctor to learn more about hyaluronic acid and other potential contraindications to treatment.
