Oral Hyaluronan Relieves Wrinkles and Improves Dry Skin: A 12-Week Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study

Abstract

Hyaluronan (HA) is present in all connective tissues and organs, including the skin and joint fluid. However, few clinical trials have comprehensively evaluated the impacts of oral HA on skin conditions, including wrinkles and moisturization. In this study, we conducted a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial of daily HA (120 mg) intake for 12 weeks in 40 healthy Asian men and women (aged 35-64 years). Skin condition was determined by the evaluation of wrinkles, stratum corneum water content, the amount of transepidermal water loss, elasticity, and through image analysis. After 12 weeks, skin condition was significantly improved in terms of wrinkle assessment, stratum corneum water content, transepidermal water loss, and elasticity in the HA group compared to the placebo group. Regarding the percentage change from baseline, wrinkle assessment, stratum corneum water content, and skin elasticity were significantly improved in the HA group versus the placebo group after 8 and 12 weeks of ingestion. The present findings indicate that oral ingestion of HA may suppress wrinkles and improve skin condition.

Keywords: dietary supplement; dry skin; hyaluronic acid; wrinkles.

Figure 1

Photographic images of Visioscan^® VC 98, VISIA^® Photographs, and DermaLab^® collagen intensity. Representative images of three subjects from each group are shown (A–C).