Acne and prostaglandins
There are two main groups of hormones that are neccessary to
balance if you want to effectively treat and cure your acne.
The first type of hormones, androgens, are responsible for the
regulation of sebum (skin oil). Your body creates acne when you
have too much sebum mixed with other elements such as toxins in
the blood and dead skin cells that clog up the skins pores.
Bacteria breeds in the blocked pores which create redness,
inflammation and swelling which is your acne.
Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances which are produces in
cells as chemical messengers. Prostaglandins are the important
hormones that are responsible for inflammatory and
anti-inflammatory responses in the cells otherwise known as
'good' and 'bad' prostaglandins.
So the question is, how does someone regulate prostaglandins
hormones in the body?
Most people lack the nutrients the body needs to produce enough
'good' prostaglandins while on the other hand produce too many
of the 'bad' type which is why acne sufferers more often than
not have inflammed, red and sore spots on their faces that take
longer than normal to reduce.
ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) which is an Omega 3 essential fatty
acid is the precursor to 'good' prostaglandins. Most americans
are simply deficient in Omega 3 efa's.
Most animal products and household oils have very high amounts
of Omega 6 efa's but very little if any Omega 3. Omega 6 is the
building block for 'bad' prostaglandins.
Two of the best sources of Omega 3 acids are in fish oil and
flax seed oil. Flax seed oil is great because it has a 2-1 ratio
of Omega 3 which is good to counter the inbalance of these EFA's
people have had most of their lives.
It would be a good idea to take enzymes with these oils to make
sure they are broken down and utilized properly. Considering
most americans also have an enzyme deficiency it would be a wise
decision.
Alternatively, you may want to take flax/fish oil capsules with
fruits that are high in enzymes such as bananas, papaya,
pineapple, figs and kiwi fruit.
One of the biggest theifs of prostaglandins is stress. Smoking
and other things that create free radicals, attack the chemicals
that are used in the biosynthesis of prostaglandins.