Omega 3 Oil & Skin Health

Omega 3 oil increases biodiversity in the gut microbiota and may have favourable effects on decreasing bacteria’s risk of obesity and inflammation. It effectively reduces inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and eczema. Omega 3 supplements also help with skin hydration, wound healing, protection against sun damage, and heart and brain protection. Anti-inflammatory reaction across the body = essential fatty acid, as we cannot produce our own. Commonly in the West, omega 6:omega three ratios are imbalanced. The ratio should be around 3:1, more commonly 15:1 in Western countries. ZinZino has a test to determine the fat content of cells. Omega 3 and omega-6 oil balance is vital to skin health.

Essential Fatty Acids and Skin Health

The body cannot produce essential fatty acids (EFA), which must be ingested. The two groups of EFA are omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).
Both omega-6 and omega-3 are critical for skin function and appearance.
Metabolism of the essential fatty acids linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid is limited in the skin, so some of their derivatives are considered conditionally crucial and must be absorbed topically or ingested.
Omega 6 is essential for forming ceramides, one of the three lipids required to create an effective barrier to the skin’s stratum corneum.
Omega 6 and omega 3 are required to produce sebum elements made in the sebaceous gland and secreted onto the skin’s surface.
Omega-6 and omega-3 give rise to potent signalling molecules called eicosanoids, which are necessary for inflammatory and immune signalling.
EFA can be absorbed through the skin’s surface, so topical or oral means effectively supply EFAs to the skin and body.

Omega-6 fatty oils are sunflower, safflower, and evening primrose.

Omega-3-rich oils are flaxseed, chia seeds, green sea vegetables, algae, & fish oil.

Omega 3 & Omega 6—for skin beauty and health

Omega 3 & 6 are required to produce the significant lipids needed for normal skin barrier function and, as it turns out, for cosmetic appearance.

Omega-3 PUFAs are protective in reducing sun damage and signs of aging and dampening inflammatory skin conditions.

Omega-6 fatty acids help alleviate symptoms associated with skin sensitivity and inflammatory skin disorders.

Essential fatty acids in a correct ratio of 3:1–1:1 have beneficial effects in settling acne, eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, rosacea, and other inflammatory skin disorders.

What are the lipids and oils in your skin?

The lipids or oils in your skin are found in the epidermal and dermal layers. The epidermis is the skin’s surface, forming a protective barrier, whereas the dermis is sandwiched between the epidermis and the fat layer called the subcutis.

Epidermal lipids

There are two types of epidermal lipids: those that surround corneocytes in the stratum corneum and sebum, which oil glands release onto the skin’s surface.

The lipids of the stratum corneum lipid layers. The EFAs needed to make the lipid matrix in the top layer of skin are built into the keratinocytes in the bottom layer of the epidermis. As the keratocytes differentiate and move to the surface, the keratinocytes parcel the lipids into an organelle called a lamellar body. These lamella bodies are extruded and rearranged into the sheets that encase the corneocytes.

Linoleic acid (omega-6) is the most abundant PUFA in the epidermis and is essential for making ceramides crucial to barrier function.
Arachidonic acid (AA) (omega-6) PUFA is the second most abundant in the epidermis and is found in epidermal cell membranes. It is a significant source of epidermal eicosanoids released from the membrane, which helps with skin inflammatory responses.
Omega-3s comprise less than 2% of epidermal fatty acids, but they serve critical immune modulation roles and significantly alter eicosanoids in the skin. Therefore, having a correct body ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is essential for the skin’s immune function and the entire body.

Dermal lipids

The primary role of EFAs in the dermis relates to the production of molecules that mediate an inflammatory response. For example, omega 3 helps decrease UV damage by minimising collagen damage.