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Fish Oil and Skin

Art (California) on 07/31/2022
5 out of 5 stars

In early June of 2022, I was having a conversation with a friend who I was already working with to try and resolve hyperpigmentation issues of her skin. Progress was slow and she was asking about different supplements that might be helpful. She mentioned that she was taking fish oil (FO) and it didn't seem to be too helpful, even though she had been taking it for years.

I asked her how many milligrams of FO she was taking. She mentioned that she was taking a 1000 milligrams a day of combined DHA/EPA. I mentioned that that might not be the optimal dose for her based on effective dosages used in studies of FO in humans and suggested she consider upping her dose to study levels of EPA/DHA of 3 to 4 grams per day in order to optimize the benefit to her skin and heart. This would be 3 to 4 times the amount she was already taking. It is the total amount of EPA/DHA in a given FO soft gel that is important, not the total amount of different oils. So even though a FO soft gel may say 1200 mg, the actual EPA/DHA level may only be half that amount. It is important to read the label carefully to know what you are really getting.

Obviously the heart benefit will not be readily apparent other than through testing, but I told her that any additional benefit to her skin should be readily apparent within two months or so. I also reminded her that FO at therapeutic dosing such as she was now taking can absolutely have blood thinning effects and as such she should notify her doctor and have him/her add that information to her medical records for safety. I further told her that the high dose FO, because of its anti inflammatory effects should be additionally beneficial to her anti hyperpigmentation regimen as localized inflammation is a contributing factor to skin hyperpigmentation.

This past week, my friend texted me to update me on how she was doing as it was approaching the 2 month mark at her new increased FO dosing level. She said the following, it appears to be additive to her anti hyperpigmentation regimen as she could see increased fading of dark spots which she said had previously slowed to a crawl and she felt that if the current rate of lightening continued she might be "clear" in 3 months or so. She further said that the increased FO dosing schedule had eliminated "all of her dry skin" issues which she said had been a major problem for her for years. She went on to say that "stretch marks, keratosis and scars" that she has had for years had either faded, significantly diminished or both.

Overall she was very happy and looking forward to continued improvements and she said the improvements are helping her to diligently stick to her current regimen with no slacking. I told her that was good that she is applying her regimen consistently because that is needed in order to obtain the results she is getting and wants.

She told me she would update me later and when she does I will update this thread to update on her progress.

I know this is not of very much importance to many people, but it does offer a significant boost to her self esteem which, imo, is very important in trying to improve your overall quality of life, plus the added health benefit that the therapeutic FO dose is having to her heart is great, especially as we age! It is important to highlight the benefits of FO at useful dosing levels as many studies spotlight a multitude of health effects associated with sufficient intake of EPA/DHA, even for the brain!

Art

REPLY   7      

Replied by Madelyn from Idaho on 08/03/2022

Hi Art,

This is fascinating information. Thank you for sharing your friend's experience with fish oil's effect on her skin. I would really like to know which brand she took. Fish oil quality seems to be all over the place depending on the brand, so I'd like to try the brand and formulation she is using. Thanks for ALL your amazing contributions to the EarthClinic community!
REPLY   6      

Replied by Art from California on 08/03/2022

Hi Madelyn,

You're welcome!

This is the product she used:

She takes 4 per day.

Art

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Replied by Madelyn from Idaho on 08/04/2022

Thanks for the link, Art! I've used Innovix Labs probiotics before at the recommendation of others. They seem to be an excellent brand for supplements.
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Replied by Peter from Chicago on 08/11/2022

Art, you mentioned fish oil for end stage kidneyDisease, is this brand ok to use?
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Replied by Art from California on 08/11/2022

Peter,

Imo, this fish oil (FO) supplement is an economical way to get into that range of EPA/DHA with the least amount of soft gels per day. You can spend much more, but I'm not sure how much more you might be getting for the extra cost. I take it myself, but have no way of analyzing it to determine the absolute quality of it.

With something as serious as CKD, you will definitely want to get your doctors approval for safety and to insure that it is not contraindicated with any current meds. FO has blood thinning effects that you should be aware of.

It is also very important for people with CKD to be aware of the fact that CKD puts you at increased risk for Cardiovascular disease (CVD) :

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/410928#:~:text=Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk factor for cardiovascular, increase in all-cause mortality.

Both Melatonin and FO offer heart protective effects and fight atherosclerosis and this is very important information for anyone with CKD.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7023944/#:~:text=In summary, fish oil may, and rupturing of atherosclerotic plaque.

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2018/9286458/

Art

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