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According to a report, nearly 50 million people annually in the United States have had some experience with acne.
And most of them wonder just how they can get rid of those unsightly blemishes in the fastest way possible.
When clearing up your acne, you probably think of using cleansers, toners, medications, and moisturizers.
But the last thing you would probably consider would be using oil to help alleviate your breakouts.
However, using fish oil for acne may help clear up your breakouts and a host of other benefits!
Now, you may be thinking, how is this fish oil going to help clear up my acne? Am I going to rub fish oil all over my face?
No, but increasing the amount of fish oil in your diet can help you successfully combat breakouts by affecting several processes in the body.
Can Omega-3 fish oil help with acne outbreaks? However, before we find the perfect solution, we must figure out just what is causing the issue.
Cause of Acne
A variety of problems can cause acne. Of course, we all are well acquainted with the hormonal swings that bring these acne outbreaks during our growing-up years.
Most of our high school and college students are well-acquainted that standing over a fast-food grill flipping burgers all day is another excellent way to bring on the bright red pimples.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
What many of us do not realize, however, is that dehydration is genuinely one of the leading causes of acne.
If you are well-hydrated, your body will be able to handle the raging hormones or the grease flying up in your face.
When we are dehydrated, our bloodstreams become clogged, thick, and full of toxins–hardly able to clean out the pores that need cleaning.
Avoid Processed food
Just as important as our water intake is our diet. If we are constantly feeding our bodies with junk, toxins, processed foods, and empty calories, our bodies will be unable to clean up the pimples that pop up all over our faces.
Instead, the body will be attempting to clean out the bloodstream and clean out your pores. It is truly a vicious cycle when we do not eat for nourishment.
Omega-3 Fish Oil for Acne
If you have tried to drink more water and clean up your diet, but the acne persists, try taking fish oil for acne.
Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids that can dramatically improve your acne outbreaks.
Omega-3 Reduce Inflammation
First, it helps reduce inflammation. According to research, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids influence inflammation through the various process, and one of the mechanism include changing the composition of fatty acid in the cell membranes.
Using fish oil for acne treatment begins by reducing inflammation of existing breakouts. Essential fatty acids found in fish oil increase the levels of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins in the body.
Studies reveal that Prostaglandins are found in every cell. Further, they are synthesized in the cells by Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), Arachidonic acid (AA), and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
GLA and AA are pro-inflammatory and are Omega 6 fatty acids. It produces leukotriene B4, a pro-inflammatory prostaglandin.
This leukotriene B4 may promote breakouts due to its pro-inflammatory properties.
A diet too high in Omega 6 and not high enough in Omega 3 may also be conducive to breakouts.
Increasing EPA, an anti-inflammatory prostaglandin and an Omega 3 fatty acid, can help restore the balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 and reduce the inflammation in the body, thus reducing acne.
Omega 3 is an essential component of fish oil, so fish oil for acne treatment is primarily recommended based on this balance of prostaglandins in the body.
Focus on Omega 3 fish oil and not an Omega 3-Omega 6 blends if taking fish oil for acne.
Omega-3 Reduces Sebum Production
Another way that fish oil can help acne is by reducing the sebum that your pores produce.
Research studies have concluded that Omega-3 fatty acids affect the mechanism and various factors that regulate the secretion of sebum production.
Incidentally, sebum often clogs our pores and becomes infected.
If your skin is hydrated, your body will reduce sebum production. So if you are naturally dehydrated, your body will produce more sebum.
Regulate the production of Androgens
Research studies stated that Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil could help regulate the production of androgens.
Androgens, hormones that promote sebum production, are particularly active during the teenage years.
However, androgens can be found in higher levels in adults and can contribute to acne breakouts.
By increasing Omega 3 in the form of fish oil, you can help reduce the over-production of sebum and keep your pores clear.
Does Fish Oil Help Acne?
Taking fish oil as a supplement can hydrate your skin very nicely, giving your pores a break from hydration duty.
Thus, you can see that taking fish oil, and therefore omega 3 for acne, can help your acne problems.
Perhaps you have wondered, does fish oil help acne?
The first step toward finding this out for yourself is discovering what is causing your acne.
If it is dehydration or over-active pores, the chances are that such supplements will work. For acne, fish oil might be a supplement that costs little but works much.
Fish Oil Supplement for Acne
So, how to use fish oil for acne?
A safe and effective way to consume fish oil for acne treatment is to find a pure, filtered fish oil supplement.
The fish oil collected from the fish does not come from the fish meat but fish tissue, so it does not carry the risk of heavy metal toxicity.
High-quality fish oil should not smell fishy and should be processed with the lowest oxidation levels possible to ensure freshness and prevent side effects found in lower-quality supplements like “fish burps.”
A quality fish oil supplement will not produce these side effects!
Finally, you want to choose a fish oil supplement for acne treatment that is not synthetic–the best formula is a 50/50 blend of Hoki oil in its natural triglyceride form and a concentrated molecularly distilled tuna oil in an ethyl ester form.
Both are exceptionally pure and easily absorbed by the body due to their omega-3s maintaining a natural molecular shape.
Also, you can get omega-3s from plant-based sources such as ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, and soy oil.
