Comments on: Natural Skin Care

By: JP

JP — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:20:09 +0000

Wondering,

This is far from a comprehensive review. But it may provide a starting point:

Borage oil is the richest source of GLA percentage-wise. Some studies have used between 360 to 920 mg of GLA daily. Please note that the highest dosage wasn’t found to be effective – in the second study. It’s unclear if the higher dose contributed to the poor results.

http://www.aggjournal.com/article/S0167-4943%2800%2900046-7/abstract

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7428/1385?view=long&pmid=14670885

Evening primrose oil may be effective even at dosages ranging from 240 to 480 mg of GLA/daily. In the first linked study, the 480 mg dosage was intended for adults and children over the age of 12.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1511801/?tool=pubmed

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1943500 < — 432 mg of GLA/day

I hope this helps.

Be well!

By: Wondering

Wondering — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:27:48 +0000

How much GLA should one take if treating a skin condition? I looked at evening primrose, borage, and black currant seed oils today and was surprised at the low % of each’s GLA level. The best I found was a NOW product called Super Borage which features 240mg GLA per 1000mg capsule. I might buy that.

By: JP

JP — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:06:41 +0000

Den,

You’re welcome. It often is a guessing game. But a lot can be learned when individuals share their personal experiences. Heck, that’s frequently the starting point for the scientific study of supplements anyhow.

Good luck your own experimentation. I’d be happy to hear what you find.

Be well!

By: Den(work)

Den(work) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:10:03 +0000

Thanks for that. The toughest thing is figuring out the right dosages of these supplements. There is no real authoritative entity and of course WE know more than our doctors do so that’s no help there. So it’s like a guessing game, aside from Googling and reading others’ experiences. Frustrating.

By: JP

JP — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:42:40 +0000

Thank you, Den.

Blackcurrant seed oil, borage oil and evening primrose all contain omega-6 fatty acids. However, they also possess a rather unique fatty acid known as GLA or gamma-linolenic acid which has demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity – unlike other omega-6s. It is hypothesized that some people lack the ability to convert linoleic acid into GLA and that this may contribute to certain inflammatory disorders including skin conditions.

It’s hard to offer a specific recommendation re: fish oil quantity. However, I can tell you that one study used 1,000 of EPA (from fish oil) in combination with several other ingredients:

http://www.lipidworld.com/content/7/1/36

Be well!

By: Den

Den — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:11:20 +0000

Arent borage and evening primrose sources of primarily omega 6 though too? And the reason we take omega 3 is to negate all the omega 6 already in the American diet?

On to my question… how much fish oil / omega 3 would you recommend for skin problems?

B T W -I love how your captchas are geared toward health and not generic

By: JP

JP — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:52:02 +0000

Glenn,

I agree that diet plays an important role in skin health. Healthy fats can/should be vital part of such of menu-plan, IMO.

Be well!

By: Glenn Fernandes

Glenn Fernandes — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:50:21 +0000

Everyone loves to have a good skin. People try out various skin products and according to me, its useless. First, you need to care about your diet. You need to have good nutritious food. Fish oil is very beneficial.