Natural acne treatment with fish oil supplementation
Get rid of your acne naturally with fish oil supplementation
Acne occurs when a substance known as sebum builds up and combines with dead skin cells. This clogs the skin's pores, producing inflammation and infection, which we recognize as acne.Sebum is a natural substance that the body produces to keep the skin and other tissues (such as the hair) moist and supple. Sebum can build up due to poor hygiene - producing oily skin and hair - but many other underlying conditions can also lead to sebum overproduction and acne. For example, hormonal imbalances (especially high levels of androgens) and stress both cause the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum. Bacterial infection can also increase the risk of acne, as can oxidative stress to the skin. Finally, while scientists have been unable to link any specific foods to acne, it is widely believed that poor diet can exacerbate the stresses that produce the condition.
Study: Supplementation reduces acne severity
One study into the effectiveness of fish oil supplementation was conducted by researchers from California State Polytechnic University Pomona and published in the journal Lipids in Health and Disease in December 2012. The researchers assigned 13 people who were suffering from inflammatory acne to supplement their normal diets and acne remedies with 3 g of fish oil per day (containing 930 mg of EPA).
After 12 weeks, acne symptoms had improved in eight of the participants, but had actually worsened in the other four. Notably, however, seven of the eight participants who showed improvement had suffered from "moderate to severe" acne at the start of the study, while three of the four whose symptoms worsened had suffered from "mild" acne. These mixed results suggest that further studies are needed to determine exactly which types of acne respond most positively to fish oil supplementation.
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