Plant Oils for Your Skin

Photo credit: Janine Joles

Plant oils have been used throughout history for a wide range of reasons.

Certain plant oils have therapeutic effects and can help improve the health of your skin. In fact, if you or your child has skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, plant oils may help balance, soothe, and repair damaged skin when used topically.

With skin rashes like eczema, use oils rich in linoleic fatty acids (omega 6-rich fatty acids) like sunflower seed oil, jojoba oil, hemp oil, and rose hip oil. Oils rich in oleic acid, like olive oil, can be drying.

*Patch test for reactions before broadly using any topical product.

Olive oil: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, wound healing, anti-aging, protective against skin cancer

Sunflower seed oil: skin barrier repair, anti-inflammatory, protective against skin cancer

Grape seed oil: antibacterial, antioxidant, wound healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, protective against skin cancer

Coconut oil: skin barrier repair, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, wound healing, anti-aging

Safflower oil: anti-inflammatory

Argan oil: skin barrier repair, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, protective against skin cancer

Soybean oil: skin barrier repair, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant

Peanut oil: skin barrier repair, anti-aging, protective against skin cancer

Sesame oil: skin barrier repair, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-aging, protective against skin cancer

Avocado oil: anti-inflammatory, wound healing

Borage oil: skin barrier repair, anti-inflammatory

Jojoba oil: skin barrier repair, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, wound healing, anti-aging

Oat oil: skin barrier repair, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant

Pomegranate seed oil: antioxidant, anti-aging, protective against skin cancer

Almond oil: skin barrier repair, anti-aging

Bitter apricot oil: protective against skin cancer

Rosehip oil: skin barrier repair, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-aging

German chamomile oil: skin barrier repair, anti-inflammatory

Shea butter: skin barrier repair, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant

What should you use on your skin? Everyone is different, and everyone is on their own health journey!

*Patch test for reactions before broadly using any topical product.

Reference:

Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils. Int J Mol Sci. 2017;19(1):70. Published 2017 Dec 27. doi:10.3390/ijms19010070

Chemical Food Triggers Behind Your Skin Rash Flares

Photo credit: Skinterrupt

I had the honor of being interviewed by Jennifer Fugo, Clinical Nutritionist, Founder of Gluten Free School, the Healthy Skin Show, and Skinterrupt for her Podcast, The Healthy Skin Show.

During our interview, we discussed:

Identifying natural chemical triggers found in many healthy foods that may be behind your skin flares...

Why this happens, and...

What you can do about it.

Here's a hint...

It's NOT about removing all these foods from your diet.

In fact, elimination diets and restrictive diets over time cause even more health problems and worsening of your symptoms, including your skin rashes.

Here's the deal...

“It’s well known that the source of many skin problems lies in the gut."

In the episode you'll learn:

• How impaired gut health impacts the skin’s health in a myriad of ways

• The differences between food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities

• Some common chemical triggers you might want to watch out for in what you eat

• Simple steps you can take to see if you have a food sensitivity

Rosacea

Photo credit: Dhyamis Kleber

Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory disease that affects the skin on the face and causes it to look blushed, “ruddy”, or even sunburned.

 Symptoms include:

• Redness

• Flushing

• Flaking and dryness

• Bumps and pimples

• Enlarged blood vessels

Rosacea can affect the eyes too and cause:

• Tearing

• Light sensitivity

• Redness

• Blurred vision

While the cause of rosacea is unknown, it may be due to:

• Diet

• A reaction to ongoing inflammation in the body

• Changes in the immune system

• Changes in the gut microbiome

• Low stomach acid and H pylori infection

• Stress

Changes in diet may play a role in addressing rosacea, where some foods and beverages can make it worse, including:

• Hot beverages

  • Coffee

  • Hot tea

• Alcohol

  • Wine

  • Beer

  • Champagne

  • Hard liquor

• Capsaicin (spices and peppers) and other spicy foods

  • Hot sauce

  • Cayenne pepper

  • Red pepper

  • Jalapeno

  • Chili pepper

  • Paprika

  • Mustard

  • Horseradish

  • Ginger

  • Cumin

• Cinnamaldehyde

  • Tomatoes

  • Chocolate

  • Citrus

  • Cinnamon

• Histamine

  • Avocado

  • Aged cheese

  • Cured meats

  • Dried fruit

  • Eggplant

  • Fermented foods

  • Nuts (cashews, peanuts, walnuts)

  • Smoked fish

  • Mackerel

  • Sour cream

  • Vinegar

  • Spinach

• Inflammatory foods

  • Refined sugars and sugary foods

  • White flour

  • Processed vegetable oils

  • Fried foods

  • Processed meats

  • Food additives and preservatives

  • Artificial sweeteners

  • Carbonated drinks and sugary juices

Heath begins in the gut. It’s where 80% of your immune system is located, and people with rosacea tend to have a higher prevalence of gastrointestinal conditions including:

• Celiac disease

• Crohn’s disease

• Ulcerative colitis

• H. pylori infection

• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)

• Candida overgrowth

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Impaired gut health and gastrointestinal conditions can cause systemic inflammation, and impair your immune system (remember, 80% of your immune system is located in your gut).

Supporting a healthy gut microbiome and resolving GI issues can result in improvements in rosacea. General strategies to promote a healthy gut microbiome include:

• Explore your gut health (get tested)

  • Address microbiome imbalances and infections

  • Resolve impaired digestion

• Diet

  • Consume a fiber-rich diet

    • Prebiotics and resistant starch

  • Include probiotics

    • Fermented foods (if not histamine sensitive)

      • Yogurt

      • Sauerkraut

      • Pickled vegetables

      • Kefir

      • Kimchi

    • Supplements

  • Eat an anti-inflammatory diet

Other nutrients that may be beneficial for rosacea include:

• Omega 3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory)

  • Salmon and fish, and fish oils

  • Seaweed and sea vegetables (marine sources)

  • Eggs

  • Walnuts (if not histamine sensitive)

  • Flaxseed

  • Supplements

• Zinc (important for the immune system, acts as an antioxidant, and is anti-inflammatory):

  • Beef

  • Lamb

  • Turkey

  • Pumpkin seeds

  • Lentils

  • Garbanzo beans

  • Quinoa

Stress can make rosacea worse, therefore stress management is an important piece of the puzzle for symptom improvement as well.

Clinical Pearls:

Your skin is your largest organ. It protects your body, makes vitamin D, is important for detoxification, and much more.

Your gut microbiome is your second largest organ, and gut dysfunction can cause skin problems.