Essential Fatty Acids are…Essential
Essential fatty acids, otherwise known as omega oils, are vital nutrients for many organs and organ systems in the body – not just for the skin. So it’s extremely important for everyone to be getting a regular daily intake of these from either food sources or supplementation – personally I’m always in favour of having a good intake of all nutrients through the diet and not relying on supplementation as a general rule, but have found that most skins will do better with the help of a concentrated source.
There are several different families of omega oils, but for the purpose of this post I will be concentrating on omega 3 and 6 as currently they are the most pertinent in skin care.
The functions of omega oils in the skin
Omega oils have a wide range of functions, and their lack affects every skin condition.
They are a key ingredient in the composition of the skin cell membrane and keep it fluid, meaning that the cells are able to perform their functions at optimum efficiency.
They make up an important part of the lipid bilayers in the stratum corneum, which slow down trans-epidermal water loss (the passage of water through the skin). This not only keeps the skin hydrated, but stops the skin feeling dry and rough as it plays a key role in the skin’s natural ability to shed dead cells. This is also an important part of the skin’s barrier defence system.
They refine the texture of oil secretions, benefiting problematic skin as sebum becomes more free-flowing and therefore less inclined to clog pores. Keeping the pores free of blockages is the first step in controlling breakouts.
Omega 3 is a potent anti-inflammatory, so is helpful in treating all skin conditions that relate to inflammation.
They transport fat-soluble antioxidants into the skin, which protect against lipid peroxidation. Lipid peroxidation is a root cause of many skin problems as it affects the integrity of the cell membrane and therefore all its functions.
They help prevent and treat pigmentation problems.
They are used by the body to make eicosanoids, hormone-like substances which regulate many processes including inflammation. Though they have an important function in forming part of the phospholipid membrane, they are effectively there in storage to be released as needed which explains why you need to ensure you are constantly replacing them through your diet.
Omega oils make up an important part of the cell membrane
There are two main families of omega oils which are important for skin health, omega 3 and omega 6. There are others too, but these are the ones that are of particular interest in skin care at the present moment. They are called essential fats as our body can’t manufacture them so we need to either eat them or apply them topically in order to metabolise them.
Why is the integrity of the cell wall so important?
A healthy, intact and fluid cell membrane allows active and passive transport of oxygen, nutrients and cell waste in or out of the cells. If there aren’t sufficient omega oils present in the wall, it becomes brittle and rigid which means transport across it is impeded.
It houses transport proteins which help this process.
It contains receptor proteins which allow cells to communicate.
It contains marker proteins which identify the cell.
Western diets often contain too much omega 6.
Although we need both omega 3 and 6, it is important that we have them in the correct ratio. From an evolutionary standpoint, our diet for most of our history involved fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and seafood, a small amount of red meat and little to no grain. With the advent of agriculture this has changed so that now we eat a lot of grains, grain products and grain fed meat and much less fruit, vegetables, nuts and seafood. Grains and grain products (such as soybean oil and other grain oils) contain a lot of omega 6 fatty acids, which are used extensively in processed and convenience foods. We do actually need these fatty acids, as they are an important part of our immune system – governing inflammation and pain response. A healthy ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 is considered around 4:1, but the Western diet can give you around between 15:1 or 30:1.
If we need omega 6, then where is the problem?
Our bodies use linoleic acid (an omega 6) to make arachidonic acid, which is stored in the cell membrane to create a pro-inflammatory eicosanoid (a hormone-like substance). Inflammation is an important part of our body’s ability to fight disease and infection, but if there is too much omega 6 present then it can create unnecessary inflammation and this is considered a root cause of a wide range of degenerative diseases. It has implications in heart disease, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and dementia to name but a few, and in the skin it influences acne, eczema, psoriasis and any other condition which is related to inflammation and its frequent partner, impaired barrier function.
Note: There are several members of the omega 6 family. It is linoleic acid which forms arachidonic acid that is pro-inflammatory and most prevalent in our Western diet. This is not to be confused with the omega 6 gamma linoleic acid (GLA), which is found in evening primrose and borage oils and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Why you should check your intake of omega 3 if your skin feels dry, rather than reach for the exfoliant.
Exfoliating seems the most obvious thing to do if your skin is feeling dry and flaky. After all, you get instant results and assume you have treated the problem. As you will understand, this is a very short-term solution, and here’s why.
As mentioned, omega oils make up a substantial portion of the phospholipid membrane of the cell. The epidermal skin cell goes through several stages of differentiation on its journey from the basal cell layer to the stratum corneum, and as it reaches the final stages the cell releases little granules containing lipids which react with the water present in the extracellular matrix (the fluid that surrounds and bathes the cells). There the lipids and water molecules organise themselves to form the lipid bilayers, which act to slow down the passage of water through the skin (transepidermal water loss, or TEWL). Think of how oil sits on top of water, and would therefore stop it from evaporating so fast.
This is relevant as water is required as a catalyst for several enzyme processes that are constantly going on within the skin. In this instance the bonds (called desmosomes) which hold the skin cells together require an enzyme to break them down. When the skin is functioning optimally, this process happens continually and keeps the surface feeling smooth and soft. It’s only when there isn’t enough free water present (either due to fast TEWL or being dehydrated) that the bonds aren’t broken, leading to a dry, flaky, rough appearance.
As you can see, simply exfoliating isn’t enough. It is far better and more effective long-term to take a look at your oil and water intake (both are important) to keep you skin feeling smooth.
When can you expect to see a difference?
Take supplements every day, up to the maximum recommended by the FDA (which is 3000mg of omega 3) or make sure you get the equivalent through your diet, and drink at least 2 litres of water daily – more if you exercise regularly, and therefore sweat more. Do this for a minimum of 2 weeks and you should be seeing a difference.
Hasn’t the 2 litres a day theory recently been refuted?
Yes, it has. However it has been both my and my clients’ experience that our skin improves when taking this amount in. For the record, there have been reports in both directions, so you can choose whom you believe. I can’t give a scientific basis for this, but I do know is that it isn’t a placebo effect as in two separate cases my clients were drinking more water than normal for completely separate reasons, and noticed their skin had improved as an added extra. I have tried it myself on several occasions, generally when the central heating has come on and I haven’t quite adjusted t0 drinking more. I noticed that my skin was feeling particularly uncomfortable and tight and wasn’t responding to any of the products which should help, and then I realised I had stopped taking my omega oils and wasn’t drinking much water at all. So I ran an experiment, taking in a high dose of omega 3 and drinking 2 litres of water a day, and found that the problem had gone away in about a fortnight.
Omega oils benefit problematic skin in several ways
Taking in extra omega oils (particularly omega 3) has several benefits to problematic skin.
1. It assists in the formation of the lipid bilayers in the skin, which has the knock-on benefit of slowing down TEWL and assisting with the shedding of dead skin cells, helping prevent clogged pores.
2. By helping form the lipid bilayers it also improves the skin barrier function, keeping out allergens and thereby preventing the inflammatory response.
3. It thins down the texture of the sebaceous (oil) secretions, which also helps to keep the opening of the pores clear. If your diet contains a lot of saturated fat (found in fast food and convenience food) and little omega oils then the oil secretions become thick and sticky, mixing with dead skin cells and other debris found on the surface of the skin and creating blockages.
4. By creating a healthy cell membrane that allows oxygen and nutrients across it, it assists in maintaining a good metabolism in the cell and therefore good cell turnover. This will reduce the occurrence a build-up of excess dead skin cells which can lead to a breakout.
Omega 3 oils are a potent anti-inflammatory agent
The release of EFA’s from cell membranes and conversion into prostaglandins is a complex enzymatic process.
1. In brief, both the omega 3 and omega 6 EFA’s use the same enzyme to be converted further in the cascade which eventually produces eicosanoids. If there is enough eicosapentanoic acid (omega 3) present, it displaces the omega 6 arachidonic acid from the cascade – resulting in anti-inflammatory or less inflammatory eicosanoids being produced. If there is not enough omega 3 present then the omega 6’s get preferred, leading to the production of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids.
2. The presence of alpha-linolenic acid (omega 3) also inhibits the release of an enzyme involved in releasing arachidonic acid from the cell membrane, and therefore a reduction in the pro-inflammatory eicosanoids.
It’s interesting to note that this is the same pathway in which non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs work, which are commonly used as pain-killers.
Note! In the case of acne, the problem of sugar (and high glycaemic load foods – foods which cause a sharp spike in blood sugar levels) must also be considered. When blood sugar levels rise, the body produces insulin to remove glucose from the blood stream. Insulin increases the production of arachidonic acid, which as we know leads to inflammation. Therefore both an increase of EPA and a decrease in high glycaemic load foods is needed in this instance.
A healthy cell membrane is the most important factor in skin care
EFA’s transport fat soluble anti-oxidants to cells, which protect the cell membrane from lipid peroxidation.
Vitamins A and E are fat-soluble anti-oxidants, which mean that they need to be bound to fat molecules in order to be absorbed, transported and stored in the body. They prevent the oxidation of lipids in the cell membrane caused by free radicals. Lipid peroxides alter the function of the cell membrane and cause possibly irreversible damage to metabolic pathways. In the skin, this can lead to:
Premature aging through inactivated vitamin A receptors in the cell membrane.
Oxygenation loss due to reduced permeability of the cell membrane, inhibiting the passage of oxygen into the cell. This results in the formation of new capillaries in order to increase the flow of blood and therefore oxygen in the skin, which we will see as thread veins or the misnamed “broken” capillaries.
Oxygenation loss also leads to sluggish, lazy oil flow, poor wound healing, accelerated aging, slow cell turnover, and excess keratinisation.
Pigmentation patches, as the dendrite arms of the melanocyte become shortened.
Shortening of the dendritic arms of the Langerhans cell. Its function is to process antigens, which would be impaired if the cell membrane was affected and its dendrites consequently shortened.
There are many more consequences to an impaired cell membrane, but even with these you can see that it is the first consideration for all skin concerns.
EFA’s play a role in treating pigmentation
Pigmentation can’t be treated without first addressing essential fatty acid deficiency, as no treatment programme will be effective long term without it.
When there are not enough essential fatty acids to keep the cell membrane fluid and healthy, this causes a number of problems which influence the appearance of pigmentation.
Each melanocyte cell has dendrite arms which reach around 30 keratinocyte cells, delivering melanin granules to them as needed.
When the cell membrane is compromised, this alters the length of the dendrites. This means that the melanocyte is still producing the same amount of melanin but is being dispersed unevenly, which results in patches of pigmentation.
EFA’s help transport fat soluble antioxidants, helping protect the cell membrane from lipid peroxidation
What is lipid peroxidation?
It is the compounded and untreated form of oxidative stress where the cell membrane has suffered an oxidative breakdown of lipids and oil soluble antioxidants. It is the process whereby free radicals steal electrons from the molecules of phospholipids within cell membranes.
How does this affect pigmentation?
Melanosomes, the granules containing the pigment which causes a tan, are produced in the melanocyte and then travel to the ends of the dendrite arms where they are released through the cell membrane into the keratinocyte cell they are protecting. The cell membrane needs to be healthy, fluid and intact to ensure even placement of the pigment granules. If it isn’t, this can effect the length of the dendrite arms, meaning that the cells produce the same amount of pigment but it is not distributed evenly.
If this condition is left untreated, it can lead to mitochondrial DNA damage as the cell membrane surrounding the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell, where its energy for all functions is produced) becomes oxidised. This condition has far reaching consequences as all skin cell functions are affected by this.
Can I get enough from my diet?
The recommended dosage of omega 3 per day is 2-4% of your daily caloric intake. So, for a 2000 calorie/day diet, you should be taking around 2-4g of omega oils per day.
To get this, you would need to eat:
3 ½ oz – 4oz portion of oily fish 2-3 times a week
¼ cup of walnuts and a tablespoon of flaxseeds daily (gives around 3g)
You could also include any of the following:
1 cup of kidney beans or soya beans gives about 0.3g of omega 3
1 cup of winter squash gives about 0.3g
4oz tofu (raw) gives about 0.4g
4oz cod gives about 0.3g
Olive oil 1oz gives about 0.2g
If you are looking to get your omega oils from fish or olive oil, please don’t fry them. The intense heat of frying destroys the oils so there will be no benefit from them.
If you eat any or all of these on a weekly basis, making sure you are taking in the recommended daily amount, then you are probably getting enough and of course benefiting from other nutrients that are present. It is very easy, however, to not realise that you haven’t met the requirements when life gets busy and for a week or so you may not have had the most balanced diet. It’s for this reason that supplementing helps, but it should never substitute a healthy, balanced diet.
What makes a good quality supplement?
Fish oil supplements are the most beneficial, as the body uses them more easily than vegetable oil alternatives. However if you are allergic to fish or are a vegetarian/vegan, then hemp seed or flaxseed capsules are good sources of omega 3. You can also find these oils in liquid form and can use them for salad dressings.
Most fish oil capsules will say they contain 1000mg of fish oil. This is not actually relevant, as it’s the proportion of EPA and DHA (types of omega 3) that matters. You are looking for the highest quantity of these that you can find and this varies hugely – unfortunately the more expensive are generally better, although if you think about how many of the cheaper capsules you would need to eat to get a similar amount of omega 3 then they probably aren’t much different. I find that the internet is a good source as you can check this easily, and shop bought products generally don’t compare.
Another consideration is purity, as mercury and other toxins are found in oily fish. Good supplements are highly purified to remove heavy metals and should state this on the bottle and/or website. The larger the fish (higher in the food chain, such as tuna and salmon) the more likely there is to be a build up. This is another reason why supplementing to get the requisite amount of EFA’s is a good idea, as if you were to try to get it solely from your diet you need to eat a huge amount of fish and risk taking in more mercury than is safe.
Lastly, there is something to be said for enteric coating. This is a coating on the capsule surface which doesn’t get broken down by stomach acid, but allows the capsule to enter the small intestine where it is digested. There are two benefits to this, the first being that it stops the fishy “repeat” after eating which many don’t like. Secondly, we absorb fats in our small intestine, so the maximum amount reaches the area where we take it in.
Note! In compiling this post, I came across an article which stated that it is important to have a good intake of antioxidants (which one should be doing anyway) when taking omega oils as without that the oils themselves may oxidise and become harmful. If your diet is low in antioxidants, it is recommended that you up your intake of them for a month prior to starting taking omega oils. This can either be in the form of supplementation or by making sure you eat a wide variety and high quantity of different coloured fruit and vegetables. I don’t offer this advice as a trained nutritionist but as a skincare specialist, so if you are concerned about if you have the balance right I would always recommend consulting a good nutritional specialist.
In treating your skin for essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD), you can bypass the supplementation issue if it is a worry for you and simply use topical preparations as the skin can metabolise them in this way too. I would always recommend making sure your diet contains EFA’s however, as they are so beneficial to the whole body.
Do IBS and Celiac disease cause a problem with absorbing EFA’s?
If you suffer from an inflammatory bowel condition such as IBS or celiac disease, then your ability to absorb fats from your diet will be affected. Often people with these conditions have a predisposition towards inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema or dermatitis, or complain of excessively dry skin, which is a clear indication of how deficiency can affect you.
Topical application of EFA’s works too.
For people with inflammatory bowel conditions, taking high doses of omega oils will be of little benefit as they won’t be absorbed. Fortunately, your skin can metabolise them when applied topically. Oils such as kiwi seed or chia seed are very high in omega 3 and can be used neat on the skin or made into a cream. They do have a short shelf life however, so need to be used up in a short space of time (refer to the manufacturer’s instructions).
There are also products which encapsulate the fats into liposome or nanoparticle format, which are of a structure that easily penetrates the stratum corneum and will be even more effective than simply applying the oil.
To conclude; having a diet which is rich in essential fatty acids and ensuring that there is a good ratio of omega 6 and 3 present is one of the major building blocks in effective skin care. There are numerous other benefits from making sure you are eating sufficient of these oils besides good skin health, which is why I have written mostly about supplementation, but to cover all the bases if your skin is essential fatty acid deficient you can also use topical application.
