Ingestible skin-care study
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Dietary lipids - specifically flaxseed or borage oil - can positively affect skin properties, according to research published in Sept. 2 British Journal of Nutrition. In a study involving two groups of women that ingested flaxseed or borage oil for 12 weeks, as well as a control group that received a placebo containing medium-chain fatty acids, skin reddening was diminished and roughness and scaling "significantly" reduced in subjects in both treatment groups. Transepidermal water loss was decreased by roughly 10% after six weeks of supplementation, with further improvement in the flaxseed oil group after 12 weeks; skin hydration levels increased in recipients of both flaxseed and borage oil. In placebo group, only hydration was affected. Consumer doubts about the efficacy of ingestible skin care have hampered the category's growth in the U.S. and other Western markets, a Euromonitor analyst recently suggested (1"The Rose Sheet" Aug. 25, 2008, p. 9)