The Soothing Ways Omega-3 Benefits Skin
Do you suffer from “chicken skin” on the back of arms, patches of rough “alligator skin,” dry, frizzy hair, or brittle nails? You may be suffering from an omega-3 deficiency. Doctors can often guess whether the amount of omega-3 in a person’s diet is sufficient just by the feel of a person’s skin. If you want healthy skin read on to see how omega-3 benefits skin.
Taking omega-3 fish oil supplements and eating more seafood help you have healthier skin. Most skin conditions are due to inflammation. Omega-3s are natural anti-inflammatory oils. For over ten years, Dr. Sears has been prescribing fish oil for his patients with dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, and other forms of dermatitis. In the last few years, dermatologists have started doing the same, and science agrees on how much omega-3 benefits skin.
More Fish and Oil
During routine checkups the look and feel of the skin often gives me a clue to how much omega 3 oil the patient eats. Dr. 
Sears looks and feel for dry, rough skin as a possible sign of omega-3 deficiency. Since hair and nails come from the same embryological root cells as the skin, those are also examined. If a patient has eczema or dry, scaly skin, Dr. Sears asks them if they eat a lot of seafood or take fish oil supplements. They look surprised, probably wondering what fish has to do with their skin problems.
When treating dermatitis, Dr. Sears focuses not only on the lotions and potions you put onto your skin, but also the nutrients you put into your skin. That’s where omega-3 benefits skin the most. All that exposure to sun and wind, allergies, and the normal wear and tear of aging cause skin to lose its elasticity, wrinkle, become thinner and more sensitive to rashes.
Even babies get dermatitis (usually eczema), often caused by topical or food allergies or a genetic quirk. Omega-3 benefits skin at all ages because omega-3 EPA/DHA is a smooth, soft, flexible nutrient that treats dermatitis from the inside. Studies reveal that when pregnant mothers eat more omega 3 and/or their infants eat more omega-3 these babies experience less eczema.
A Patient’s Letter to Dr. Bill Sears:
In 1998 my baby was born with a rare genetic condition called congenital icthyosis (Greek for “fish skin”). Her skin was scaly. It bothered me more than her. At our two-week visit you surprised me by recommending I eat salmon two to three times a week and take fish oil supplements. You explained that the special fats would get into my breast milk and then into my baby’s skin to help it heal. Within a month her skin was much smoother and softer, and her dermatologist at UCLA was amazed. Thank you, Dr. Sears!
