Healthy, vibrant skin and lush hair growth begin with nutrition. Our skin and hair require certain essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to look and feel their best. Omega-3 fatty acids are a good example of critical nutrients that provide an array of benefits for skin and hair health.

Omega 3 fatty acids have long been recognized for their numerous health-supportive benefits. These essential nutrients play a crucial role in supporting the overall vitality and well-being of individuals, making them a key component of any health-focused lifestyle.

From enhancing skin barrier function and supporting a healthy inflammatory response to promoting hair growth and healthy blood circulation, omega-3s offer several benefits for skin and hair health—encouraging a healthy and radiant appearance.

By embracing a holistic approach to skin and hair care and incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into your daily routine, you can unlock their full potential for promoting healthy-looking skin and hair.

This article will provide an in-depth look at omega-3 benefits for skin and hair health. We’ll explore how these essential nutrients support various aspects of skin and hair biology.

By the end, you’ll understand the diverse benefits of omega-3s for healthy-looking skin and hair—and how to obtain adequate amounts through diet and supplementation with Ascent Nutrition’s Algae Oil DHA.

The skin is the body's largest organ and serves as the first line of defense against external stressors. Proper skin health relies on adequate nutrition to maintain normal structure and function. Omega-3 fatty acids provide a wide range of nutritional benefits to promote healthy skin.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of essential fat that plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health and well-being. They are considered "essential" because our bodies cannot produce them on their own, meaning we must obtain them through our diet or supplements.

There are three main types of omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). EPA is known for its ability to support a healthy inflammatory response, while DHA is essential for maintaining the structural integrity of cell membranes throughout the body, particularly those in the brain and eyes.

Overall, omega-3 fatty acids are well-known for their numerous health benefits for men, women, and children—including supporting heart health, promoting brain function, supporting eye health, assisting in healthy mitochondrial function, and supporting a healthy inflammatory response.

They also play a vital role in skin and hair health, offering a multitude of benefits for a radiant and youthful appearance.

These essential nutrients can support skin barrier function, assisting in the body’s defense against UV rays, promote healthy wound healing, support a healthy inflammatory response, and enhance healthy blood circulation. As an essential nutrient, adequate omega-3 intake lays the internal foundation for healthy, vibrant skin.

Read on for more on omega 3 benefits for skin health:

One of the most important omega-3 benefits for skin health is their ability to support the skin's barrier function.

The skin barrier plays a crucial role in maintaining skin health, as it protects our body from external irritants and allergens while keeping moisture locked in.

There are three main layers that comprise the skin, with each comprising specialized cells that contribute to the unique properties of the respective layers:

• Hypodermis: Fatty bottom layer of skin that connects to bones and muscles.

• Dermis: Middle layer that contains connective tissues like collagen and elastin fibers that give skin strength and elasticity. Blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves, hair follicles, and sweat glands also reside in the dermis.

• Epidermis: The top layer of skin that provides skin color and acts as a protective barrier. The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of the epidermis that provides the skin's barrier function. It’s the layer you see and it consists of corneocytes (dead keratinocytes) embedded in a lipid matrix composed of ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids.

The lipid-rich stratum corneum controls the movement of water and other molecules across the skin interface. It prevents moisture loss from inside the body as well as the entry of external particles.

Dietary omega-3 supplementation has been shown to significantly alter the fatty acid profile of the skin [1] [2] [3].

While omega-6 fatty acids such as linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA) are the most abundant essential fatty acids in the epidermis, research shows that omega-3s also play an important role in supporting skin barrier function [4] [5].

For example, a 2011 study published in the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology found that supplementation with omega-3s promoted the skin hydration of participants. They also recorded a healthier skin appearance compared to a placebo [6].

Omega-3 fatty acids can support the skin’s natural defenses against excess sun exposure and can promote healthy skin aging, which can be negatively impacted by UV rays [1] [2] [7].

Excessive Sun Exposure:

Sunburn or erythema is caused by excessive ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. It is important to note that UVR can cause cellular damage that negatively influences the body’s inflammatory and immune response, even at doses that may not cause sunburn.

Since omega-3s and omega-6s play an important role in the body’s inflammatory and immune response, their levels in the skin influence the cellular reaction to excessive sun exposure.

While topical application of sunscreens may help support the body’s defenses against the damaging effects of UVR, studies show that dietary omega-3 supplementation for skin health may provide an added benefit by supporting the body’s response at a systemic level [8] [9].

One way omega-3s aid the skin in protecting itself against the damaging effects of sunlight is by supporting a healthy inflammatory response.

As mentioned earlier, omega-6s are the most abundant essential fatty acids in the epidermis. However, omega-6s are known to be pro-inflammatory. Research shows that UV exposure may mobilize the omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA) in the skin, producing inflammatory mediators like prostaglandins that can drive excessive inflammation [10].

Omega-3 supplements for skin health enrich DHA EPA in skin cell phospholipids, allowing it to support a healthy inflammatory response by competing with AA for inflammatory mediators. Omega-3 fatty acids also support the body’s free radical scavenging ability and promote healthy immune function—both important functions in supporting the skin’s defenses against excessive sun exposure.

According to one study, the consumption of DHA EPA for 3 months was shown to enhance the body’s healthy response to the effects of sunburns by 136% compared to a placebo group [11].

Photoaging:

Another omega-3 benefit for skin health is their ability to support the body’s natural attenuation of UV-induced photoaging and collagen damage. Photoaging is characterized by loss of skin elasticity, wrinkling, collagen destruction, and altered pigmentation [12] [13].

Supporting the healthy function of the dermis is crucial as skin aging is significantly governed by damage to dermal collagen. Omega-3s work deep in the lower layer of the skin to promote the health of the dermis by supporting a healthy inflammatory response and aiding in healthy collagen synthesis [14] [15].

One of the numerous benefits of omega-3s for skin health is their ability to support healthy blood circulation. Good blood flow is essential for maintaining radiant and healthy-looking skin.

Blood delivers essential nutrients and oxygen to the skin cells, promoting cell regeneration and repair. Additionally, proper blood circulation helps support the body's natural processes to remove waste products, such as free radicals and toxins, from the skin.

Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA, are known to promote healthy blood circulation by supporting a healthy inflammatory response and promoting healthy vascular function throughout the body.

Endothelial cells lining blood vessels play a major role in regulating blood flow. Omega-3s support healthy endothelial cell function and promote healthy microvascular blood flow by aiding in healthy nitric oxide (NO) production [16]. NO is a signaling molecule that promotes vasodilation (widening of blood vessels) for healthy blood flow.

Another benefit of omega-3s for skin health is their role in stimulating healthy wound healing. The essential fatty acids achieve this by supporting the structural integrity of the skin and supporting a healthy inflammatory response.

The wound healing process consists of overlapping inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling phases [17]. While some inflammation is necessary early on to initiate tissue repair and combat foreign particles, excessive or chronic inflammation can become detrimental and delay healing.

In two similar studies investigating the effects of omega-3 supplementation on epidermal wound healing, the researcher gave participants either EPA and DHA from an omega-3 supplement or a placebo daily for 28 days [18] [19].

In both studies, the findings showed that omega-3 supplementation shifted the fatty acid content profile at wound sites towards an omega-3 profile and promoted healthy wound healing.

By supporting healthy local inflammation and tissue lipid composition, supplemental omega-3s EPA and DHA may promote optimal wound repair and tissue regeneration in humans.

Omega-3 supplements for skin health may also play a crucial role in promoting healthy oil production, or sebum.

Sebum is an oily substance produced by the sebaceous glands, which helps to moisturize and protect the skin. However, excessive sebum production can lead to excessively oily skin and other issues.

One of the key benefits of omega-3s for skin health is their ability to promote a healthy balance in sebum production [20]. This is essential for healthy-looking skin as it encourages moist skin without excessive oiliness.

In addition to skin benefits, omega-3 fatty acids also support optimal hair growth and quality.

The hair follicle is one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body. Hair follicles require adequate blood flow and nutrition to sustain normal growth cycles. Omega-3s provide several biological benefits for scalp health and hair production.

Hair grows in repeating cycles of growth (anagen), regression (catagen), and resting (telogen) phases. During anagen, rapidly dividing matrix cells in the bulb differentiate into new hair cells that push the hair shaft outward.

Research suggests that omega-3s benefit hair health by supporting an optimal active growth period before follicles enter the resting phase [21].

In a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, the researchers concluded that “a 6-month supplementation with omega 3s and [free radical scavengers] acts efficiently in [promoting healthy] hair density and reducing* the telogen percentage and the proportion of miniaturized anagen hair” [22].

Omega-3s may also enhance scalp health. The benefits of omega-3s for scalp health can be attributed to their ability to support a healthy inflammatory response and promote healthy blood circulation to the scalp for better nutrient and oxygen delivery to hair follicles. Nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation induced by omega-3s promotes microcirculation to active follicles.

Another omega-3 benefit for hair health is their role in supporting the lipid barrier of the cuticle layer surrounding hair strands. This helps support the skin’s natural ability to retain moisture and prevent brittle hair prone to breakage. Omega-3s enhance hair strength and shine at a cellular level.

By supporting scalp health, the hair cycle, moisture retention, and follicle nutrition, omega-3 supplements like Ascent Nutrition’s Algae Oil DHA optimize conditions for healthy hair growth and quality.

With their myriad benefits, omega-3s are vital nutrients for nurturing healthy, vibrant skin and lustrous hair from within.

While topical skincare products certainly help maintain skin appearance, the diet supplies vital nutrients that more deeply support healthy skin function.

Research shows that the skin’s fatty acid composition can be significantly influenced by the diet through cellular uptake [23].

Optimizing nutrition with omega-3-rich foods or supplements more profoundly supports the intricate biological processes that keep skin healthy and youthful. Nourishing skin from the inside out provides the foundation for lasting skin wellness.

A balanced diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can provide many of the essential nutrients required for healthy skin and hair. However, due to various factors such as a busy lifestyle, dietary restrictions, or health conditions, it might be challenging to obtain sufficient omega-3s through diet alone.

For example, the DHA Regimen recommends an intake of 1,000-2,000 mg of DHA and EPA per day to raise a person’s omega-3 index percentage to the optimal levels known to be beneficial to human health. If someone were to attain this goal on diet alone, they would need to eat up to 11 servings (3 oz) of fatty fish (e.g., salmon) every week.

If you’re like most people, eating a large serving of fish daily is not feasible. We also have to consider individuals who follow vegan/vegetarian lifestyles or can’t eat fish for various reasons.

On the other hand, getting your omega-3s from plant sources like flax seeds may not provide sufficient levels of the potent omega-3s EPA and DHA for optimal health effects. These plant sources contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which must be converted in the body to EPA and DHA to be useful. However, this conversion process is inefficient, with only a small fraction of the ALA converting to EPA and DHA.

For these reasons, taking specially formulated omega-3 supplements for skin health is the best way to promote radiant and healthy skin and hair.

To truly reap the benefits of omega 3 for skin and hair health, it is essential to stay consistent with your supplementation. Integrating vital omega-3 nutrients into your daily routine helps ensure that your body is continuously receiving the benefits of the essential fatty acids for optimal skin and hair health.

Additionally, it is crucial to invest in high-quality supplements for skin health while committing to a holistic approach to wellness. This will allow you to fully harness the benefits of omega-3s for skin and hair health.

A product like Ascent Nutrition’s Algae Oil DHA checks all the boxes by helping individuals optimize their omega-3 intake in as little as a 2.0 mL serving of the tincture daily.

The omega-3 supplement is also a great option for people who don’t take fish for various reasons since it’s sourced from a specific wild-strain algae (which also happens to be nature’s original source of DHA. i.e., fish eat algae to incorporate DHA into their cells).

The algae is uniquely water-extracted to naturally deliver the cleanest and most concentrated DHA. For comparison, a unit of Algae Oil DHA can produce up to 250% more omega-3 than fish oil.

To further cement its position as one the best omega 3 supplements for skin and hair health, Ascent Nutrition’s Algae Oil DHA comes in an organic lemon flavored version that not only tastes great but also adds to the nutritional profile of the product.

Interested? Visit our product page and start your journey to healthy-looking skin and hair.