Why EVERY acne sufferer should be taking Omega 3's

I'm fortunate enough to be a student of Florence Barrett Hill, of Pastiche, Ltd. in New Zealand. She is one of the world's top technical skin educators. I've just been reading in one of her books about acne. To paraphrase her, the root cause of all types of acne, from a skin physiology perspective, is hyperkeratinization. Here's her quote about the sebocyte's roll in this:

"During its life-cycle, the sebocyte will fill with lipid until as much of the cell as possible is converted to lipid. The volume will grow more than 100 fold until the cell finally disintegrates which causes the contents (sebum) to be expressed into the sebaceous gland.

The quantity and quality of the oil will only be as good as the health that the immature sebocyte cell membrane had to start with. If there was poor cell health, the final result will be a small amount of oil and a large amount of cellular debris.

This debris will contribute to a blocked duct, and a viscous, sluggish oil flow, contributing to the formation of comedones and pustules. A sluggish oil flow is often apparent under black light as an orange-colored secretion."

The best thing for cell membrane health? According to Florence, it's Omega 3 - about 3,000 mg. a day. Healthy oil flow will appear more yellow under black light.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Julie Forkenbrock on February 11, 2012 at 10:21am

To the best of your knowledge, what do you feel is the best way to get enough Omega 3s? A healthy diet, of course. But as far as supplements go? Salmon oil? Cod liver? Flaxseed? Other types of fish? The reason I ask is because I know people who say they break out worse when taking Flax or when taking fish supplements. I don't have an issue at all, but I would be curious to know what you think or what your instructor thinks. I have been taking Krill Oil pills (I'm a sucker for marketing!). Thank you for your help!

Permalink Reply by Mary Lou Coleman on February 11, 2012 at 10:37am

Actually, I know of no reason someone should break out using fish oil or flax unless they have an allergy or sensitivity to it. Oils in themselves do not cause break-outs, and fish and flax are anti-inflammatory, which means they should lessen the tendency to break out...

I personally grind one tablespoon of flax seed every morning (has to be ground fresh as it oxidizes very quickly) and sprinkle it over old-fashioned oatmeal (a skin super-food!) That gives me about 1,800 mg. Omega 3 right there. Then at night, I take 4 salmon oil capsules of good quality (the darker orange color, the better - clear, yellow ones are highly processed - "for purity", they claim.)

I would suggest that anyone who thinks they break out using fish oil or flax should re-examine the issue, looking for other causes - like high salt intake - and give their skin a few days to see if it settles down. Omega's are just that important - for all skins, not just acneic ones.

Permalink Reply by Julie Forkenbrock on February 11, 2012 at 10:48am

I agree with your answer - based on what knowledge I have in skin and nutrition - so I did think it was odd for people to pinpoint an omega 3 source as the culprit....but then again, it's not happening to my skin. I do get confused when I hear others saying, for example, jojoba breaks me out, or argan oil, or grapeseed, olive, or castor oil. The one oil I do think that does break me out on my face is coconut. I've tried this a couple of times and each time I get cystic acne near my chin (and, yes, I do suffer from hormonal acne). But then others rave an rave about certain oils. I hear this just the same as I hear break out reactions to supplements. My skin, for example, is very, very oily, very clog prone around my nose, a bit around my chin. I quit sugar for one month and my skin was essentially flawless...but then I ate sugar again and the same activity resurfaced. I do have nice youthful skin for my age (42) or so I'm told but I do take good care of it. Can I ask how many milligrams your salmon capsules are? Have you heard of Krill oil? Thank you for your help!

Permalink Reply by Laura Cooksey on February 11, 2012 at 11:15am

@Julie - Coconut oil is HIGHLY comedogenic. Lots of organic and natural skincare lines are full of coconut oil. Here's a list of pore-clogging ingredients.

Comedogenic Ingredients

Permalink Reply by Julie Forkenbrock on February 11, 2012 at 12:12pm

Thank you for the link, Laura!! I do love it on my body and it does soak in beautifully after about 20 mins. I would never put it on if I was in a hurry, though. I do know some people who love coconut oil for their face. I notice shark oil and I recall seeing this oil used in some powder foundations - cannot remember which brand. Actually, I think it was one of those generic brands that salons put their name on, if this makes sense.

Permalink Reply by Mary Lou Coleman on February 11, 2012 at 11:15am

Oils ON the skin and oil taken internally are very different things! It's a myth that consumed oils cause break-outs - unless they are just part of a generally crappy diet, in which case all bets are off. Diet is HUGE in acne management.

I take Omega Factors Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil by Natural Factors. These are good quality. There are better, like New Chapter, but they are very expensive. Each of these caps contains 267 mg. Omega 3. I have heard of krill, but not about krill oil.

Permalink Reply by Laura Cooksey on February 11, 2012 at 11:18am

Good point Mary Lou. Oils on the skin can actually "feed" the bacteria!

Permalink Reply by Julie Forkenbrock on February 11, 2012 at 12:16pm

Thank you, Mary Lou! Believe me, I know what I should and should not be eating. Unfortunately, I have this very real and strange addiction to Haagen Dazs vanilla frozen yogurt and diet root beer - lots of sugar in the yogurt.

Permalink Reply by Carrie Patrick on February 13, 2012 at 8:55am

Interesting! I have been taking Omega 3 supplements for quite a while (not for skin reasons) and have much better skin now, after being very acne prone for much of my life. I just get whichever Omega 3 fish oil capsules are cheapest at the supermarket whenever I shop. I wouldn't say the improvement is all because of the fish oil, but I think it has contributed. I also eat very low carb, almost no sugar, drink mostly water with the occasional diet soda, work out a lot, and use a glycolic exfoliant morning and night. All of that together has definitely made my skin the best it's ever been.

Laura's list of comedogenic ingredients is also a big part of my life now, and ever since I switched my regular cleanser to one without anything on her list, MAJOR improvement!