Essential Fatty Acids for Beautiful Skin

The skin needs the right balance of essential fatty acids to maintain suppleness and smoothness. I see a great deal of clients with skin problems such as dryness, eczema, psoriasis and acne with one thing common; the lack of or imbalance of proper fats and oils.

While most people get enough Omega-6 EFA in their diets, intake of Omega-3 EFA is seriously lacking. This results in an imbalance. Omega-6 can increase inflammation whereas Omega-3 decreases inflammation. Generally, conditions like eczema are inflammatory in nature and a small change in diet can lead to huge improvements. This is not to say that Omega-6 is bad, it just needs to be the right type and in the right combination with other oils.

Omega-3 is damaged through cooking and processing and in fact can become toxic when heated. The key is to ingest these oils as close to their natural state as possible. Walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds are some of the highest plant sources of Omega-3 so adding these to your diet is a great place to start. Here at Cleanse we use Udo’s Oil with DHA to get the perfect balance of oils. One thing I always look for in a product is integrity in processing, Udo’s oils are free of pesticides, PCB’s and dioxins and guarantee that no damage occurs to the oils during processing.

Although EFA are crucially important to skin health, other nutrients that are required include, A and B vitamins, minerals such as zinc, magnesium, copper, protein and of course pure water. A well rounded diet with a variety of vegetables, superfoods, lean proteins and good quality fats and oils will set you off on the right path to achieving beautiful skin from the inside out!