Fish Oil For Skin: The Truth Behind The Claim

It may sound unbelievable, but health care providers, dieticians and nutritionists are advocating a healthy supply of oil in one's diet. The complete eradication of oil from daily meals is apparently not the best way to great health - or at least, the best way to great looking hair, nails and skin. As such, the pros are offering alternatives to oil usually derived from food, one of which includes dietary supplements like fish oil for skin.

First of all, let us define what fish oil is. Fish based oil is often harvested from the tissues of oily fish or fatty fish like albacore tuna, flounder, herring, mackerel, sardines and salmon. These contain components consisting of DHA or docosahexaenoic acid Omega 3 fatty acids (a family of unsaturated fatty acids,) and EPA or eicosapentaenoic acid.

As such, having a healthy supply of these components in one's diet are beneficial because these are said to bring about: higher concentrations of good cholesterol while lowering the bad ones; improvement in the immune system; improvement in vision; a good source of supplementary aid for pregnant mothers; better control on blood pressure levels; and of course, a reduction in physiological inflammation. But fish oil for skin? Is it really possible?

The answer is: yes. Fish oil - skin may not be the usually accepted combination. But yes, health care providers, dieticians and nutritionists have been prescribing fish oil for skin for decades, and this all because of two of its major component: EPA or eicosapentaenoic acid and Omega 3 fatty acids.

According to the Journal of Lipid Research published in 2005, EPA is the best component when it comes to preventing the onset of wrinkles or delaying the aging process of the skin. EPA has also seen positive results when used as a healing agent for UV damaged skin. A healthy supply of this component in the body is also credited for keeping the skin tissues supple and elastic.

Here are several reasons why this component can do the aforementioned claims. EPA produces the anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. This hormone-like substance regulates the skin cells, making them heal faster.

At the same time, EPA limits the inflammatory response so that the skin does not feel stressed, as with the cases of people who have psoriasis: a non-contagious skin condition where red scaly patches tend to appear on the skin. This fish oil component also inhibits the manufacturing of androgens. Androgens are responsible for the onset of excess sebum in hair follicles, which in turn can lead to the outbreak of pimples and acne.

Additionally, supplementary fish oil for skin contains Omega 3 fatty acids which also help promote better cellular functions. This makes cell rejuvenation happen on a much faster scale. This also means that damaged skin can be replaced faster and skin wounds heal quicker.

It should be noted that not all forms of oils are bad for the body. Fish oil for skin can help the person not only look and feel young, but can also prevent the onset of more complicated skin problems like: acne, eczema, flaky skin, pimples, premature skin aging, psoriasis, and skin discoloration.