Our skin is our largest organ. It serves several purposes. Its most important role is covering all of our insides and holding them together.
With the huge range of products out there, caring for your skin, especially your face, can seem very complicated. Oftentimes, the best way to care for your skin is from the inside, through use of supplements like fish oil.
We’ll go over some skin health tips and then I’ll let you know our picks for the best fish oil for skin and face.
What are the Functions of Our Skin?
The skin is a multi-purpose organ. In fact, the layers of the skin (dermis, epidermis, and the subcutaneous tissue) work together to perform four major functions, though each function is quite a bit more involved than we’ll go into here.
The first skin function that you probably think of is protection. Your skin protects you by acting as your body’s first line of defense. It keeps bad things out, good things in, and helps maintain the status quo inside. The skin helps maintain fluid levels, fights infection, and keeps inner tissues from radiation.
The second skin function, and another that helps maintain the status quo within the body, is the regulation of temperature. The blood vessels contained in the skin along with the sweat glands help your body to maintain your normal temperature through sweating or the fluctuation of blood flow.
Skin’s third function is to provide sensation. Nerves that are woven throughout the layers of the skin send signals to the brain that allow you to feel things. These sensations can help us keep ourselves safe, like by telling you something is hot before you get burned.
Skin’s final major function is to produce vitamin D. Most of the vitamin D that your body needs can be synthesized right in your skin with just a little sunlight. Vitamin D serves several functions throughout the body and is thought to play a large role in our mental well-being.
What Damages Skin?
We’ve talked about how important our skin is to our health, but our skin’s condition also affects the way that we look. Skin that looks vibrant and healthy is desirable, and people spend a small fortune trying to achieve the look.
Being on the outside, our skin shows its wear more than other body systems. There are several factors that affect the look and the health of our skin, the least avoidable of which is time. As we age, the fibers that support the structure of our skin begin to weaken and deplete, causing wrinkles.
Environmental factors can also negatively affect our skin. Some examples of damaging environmental factors include air pollution and sunlight. Lifestyle choices like smoking and poor eating habits can also cause skin to age sooner or more completely.
Living a healthy lifestyle can help your skin hold up better under the strain of everyday life. Eating right and making sure that you get the vitamins, minerals, and fats that you need through food can help you look and feel better.
Why Should You Start Supporting Your Skin from the Inside Out?
There are an incredible number of beauty products out there that promise that they’ll make skin look younger or firmer or clearer. While gently cleansing and moisturizing can go a long ways towards making your skin look better, you’ll likely get better results by improving your diet.
First, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water can work wonders to keep your skin looking younger. Next, a diet rich in healthy fats like omega-3’s can help maintain a lipid layer under the skin, which helps skin maintain its firm, taut appearance. Plenty of antioxidants can help your body and skin feel young.
Why Fish Oil?
Remember those omega-3 fatty acids that we talked about? Fish oil supplements provide those fatty acids in spades. Particularly if you’re someone who really doesn’t like eating fish, it’s a great supplement to help you maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails.
While omega-3s can be found in many other foods, fish oil capsules are a quick, easy way to get a hearty dose of these nutrients.
There’s some evidence to support applying fish oil directly to the skin, too. Studies have shown that fish oil applied to the skin may be effective in the treatment of psoriasis. Fish oil facials have even gained popularity (and the support of some physicians, as well) in popular spas.
What Other Benefits does Fish Oil Have?
Aside from benefits to the skin, fish oil is approved for a multitude of health issues. It is frequently used in those with heart disease, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol to help improve heart health. It is even approved by the FDA for use in treating high triglycerides (a type of cholesterol).
Fish oil supplements may also be good for the brain. Aside from acting as excellent fuel to power the brain, many people believe that omega-3 supplements like fish oil may help improve mental health conditions such as ADHD, depression, and schizophrenia.
What Makes a Quality Fish Oil for Skin and Face?
A lot of the guidelines for choosing other supplements also apply to fish oil. You’ll want to choose a supplement from a reputable company that meets the purity guidelines such as GMP (good manufacturing practice for pharmaceuticals).
Find a supplement with a high omega-3 content, since that’s kind of the whole point of finding the best fish oil for skin and face care. You probably want to choose a product that is known for its lack of fishiness, as well. Fishy burps aren’t something anyone wants to experience.
As always, remember that the most expensive product isn’t necessarily the best! Do your research, or simply read on for our picks for the best fish oil for skin and face.
Conclusion
The Body Vega fish oil is the clear winner here. At its price-point, it certainly can’t be beaten for quality and ease of use. It contains the highest dosage of omega-3s found in the products we’ve reviewed here, and really, in any products on the market. If a superb product with a great value is what you’re looking for in the best fish oil for skin and face health, it’s definitely our pick for you.
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