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Your skin is the largest organ on your body and covers an incredible amount of area – around 19 square feet for the average person.
The skin comprises of about 70 percent water, 27 percent protein, 2 percent fat and 1 percent sugar. Throughout your entire life, it provides a hardy wrapping that protects your body against ultraviolet rays from the sun, knocks and cuts and bacterial infections.
There are two main layers to the skin. The upper layer is called the epidermis and the lower layer the dermis. The epidermis comprises constantly renewable cells that maintain moisture and elasticity and also give your skin its distinctive color. With aging, less cells form and your skin becomes more brittle and loses its elasticity. The lower layer of skin or dermis contains blood and lymph vessels, nerve endings, hair follicles, sweat glands and sebaceous glands, which produce the skin’s oils. This immense network of blood and lymph vessels brings nutrients to your skin and removes waste. Oils in the skin include both essential and nonessential fatty acids and cholesterol, which all help to keep your skin smooth and soft.
Your skin also has other important functions too. The cholesterol in skin absorbs sunlight and manufacture vitamin D, which is needed for strong bones. The sebaceous glands deep within your skin manufacture and secrete lubricants to prevent the evaporation of moisture and bodily fluids. The sweat glands moisten and cool your body and act as an important temperature regulating mechanism for your body to prevent it overheating.
Essential fatty fats are particularly important to the health of your skin. Every skin cell is wrapped in a membrane which consists mainly of substances derived from Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
Deficiencies in essential fatty acids are one of the main causes of eczema in children. Omega-3 is also important in heat regulation, fat distribution, hair growth and blood circulation in the skin. The essential fatty acids are also needed to produce and maintain a balance of prostaglandins in the skin, which are essential for both inflammation and healing of the skin.
Recent research has shown that a deficiency of Omega-3 fatty acids is the primary cause of many skin aliments that plague people in today’s modern societies. These include:
• Raw cracked skin.
• Seborrheic dermatitis.
• Scaling of the skin on the scalp.
• Scaling of the skin on shins and forearms.
• Sun sensitivity and rapid sun-burning.
• Alopecia areata and sudden hair loss.
• Phrynoderma or scaling and enlargement of hair follicles
• Discoid lupus
• Severe eczema of the hands
However, regular Omega-3 nutrient supplements, particularly when taken in conjunction with Zinc supplements, have demonstrated striking improvements in the condition of the skin from people suffering from these aliments.
After about a month of taking regular Omega-3 fish oil for skin supplements, people reported softer, smoother, firmer skin and thicker, fuller hair. Omega-3 supplements can not make time stand still. But they can make a huge difference to the way your skin deals with the natural changes that time brings.
One of the best sources of high quality Omega-3 fish oil for skin has been extracted from the Hoki fish that swims in the fresh, clean depths of the Southern Ocean near New Zealand. These are the same supplements that I use on a daily basis and are my recommendation to help you maintain healthy, soft and firm skin whatever your age.
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Source by John L. Johnson
