About half of the American population says they have sensitive skin, defined loosely as “tingling, chafing, burning,” itching sensations when exposed to various environmental factors. A similar high prevalence has been reported throughout Japan and Europe—especially in women.
Often, there are no obvious signs, and, so, it’s often been dismissed by the medical community as a “princess and the pea” phenomenon—a mindset that has hindered the investigation of this problem.
But, now, it’s largely “recognized as a genuine phenomenon of physiological origin,” thought to arise from an “alteration of the skin barrier allowing potentially irritating substances to penetrate the skin and generate an inflammatory reaction.”
Okay, so, what can we do about it? Well, recently, supplementation of flaxseed oil was found to diminish skin sensitivity and improve skin barrier function and condition. In a randomized, double-blind, 12-week study, women were given about a half teaspoon of flaxseed oil a day—internally—versus safflower oil, as a control. That’s the amount of oil found in about a teaspoon and a half of flaxseeds.
After three months, there was a significant decrease in skin reddening in the flax group compared to the safflower group, when an irritant chemical was painted on their forearms to measure skin sensitivity. Their skin also ended up significantly better hydrated, had significantly better barrier function—as evidenced by lower transepidermal water loss—skin that’s less rough; less scaly; and smoother. You can actually see the changes in a close-up view of the skin. Skin looked pretty much just as dry and scaly before and after the safflower oil intervention, but significantly improved after flaxseed oil.
Sensitive skin is typically treated by topical application of lotion and creams. But, why not treat it from the inside? “This study showed that daily supplementation with flaxseed oil improved skin appearance and led to a decreased skin sensitivity by improving epidermal barrier function and decreasing inflammation…”
The best source of flaxseed oil is within the flaxseed itself, right? Then, you get all the nutrition of the whole food, and it’s cheaper and more stable. Unlike the oil, you can bake with the seeds without destroying the omega-3s, and can even store ground flaxseed for a month, at room temperature, without spoilage or oxidation.
Sources cited
- K. Neukam, S. De Spirt, W. Stahl, M. Bejot, J.-M. Maurette, H. Tronnier, U. Heinrich. Supplementation of flaxseed oil diminishes skin sensitivity and improves skin barrier function and condition. Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2011 24(2):67 - 74
- L. Misery, V. Sibaud, C. Merial-Kieny, C. Taieb. Sensitive skin in the American population: Prevalence, clinical data, and role of the dermatologist. Int. J. Dermatol. 2011 50(8):961 - 967
- M. A. Farage, H. I. Maibach. Sensitive skin: Closing in on a physiological cause. Contact Derm. 2010 62(3):137 - 149
- Dayane de C. Morais, Érica A. Moraes. Heat Treatment and Thirty-Day Storage Period Do Not Affect the Stability of Omega-3 Fatty Acid in Brown Flaxseed (Linum Usitatissimum) Whole Flour. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 2011, 2, 281-286 2011 2(NA):281-286
