13 replies to this topic

[gingergirl22]

My son, age 15 has dry eyes and was prescribed Omega 3 in the form of flax or fish oil supplements.  He tried fish oil for 2 weeks and his acne worsened.  I'm afraid to try flax oil or ground flax seeds because they contain phytoestrogens which can worsen acne in males. 

 

So it seems that my only option to have him eat more Omega 3 rich fish.  Hopefully that doesn't worsen acne too!  I do prepare it once a week or so and haven't noticed breakouts, but now that I need to increase his servings, I hope that his acne doesn't get worse.

 

If anyone has any other ideas to increase Omega 3 levels that doesn't worsen acne, I'd love to hear about them.

 

Thanks!

Edited by gingergirl22, 10 February 2013 - 03:50 PM.

[patientx]

 I'm afraid to try flax oil or ground flax seeds because they contain phytoestrogens which can worsen acne in males. 

 

Flax lignans are strong inhibitors of 5-alpha reductase (the enzyme responsible for acne) and have been shown to reduce DHT and sebum:

 

http://cat.inist.fr/...cpsidt=18286771

 

I eat flaxseed meal everyday and it really helps my acne. Every time I stopped my acne worsened.

[paigems]

My parents bought some eggs with lots of omega 3 in them and it made my acne and oily skin worse just like taking the supplement. Maybe this isn't true for everyone though and you could try eggs with added omega 3?

[gingergirl22]

 I'm afraid to try flax oil or ground flax seeds because they contain phytoestrogens which can worsen acne in males. 

 

Flax lignans are strong inhibitors of 5-alpha reductase (the enzyme responsible for acne) and have been shown to reduce DHT and sebum:

 

http://cat.inist.fr/...cpsidt=18286771

 

I eat flaxseed meal everyday and it really helps my acne. Every time I stopped my acne worsened.

Are you male or female?  The study you have a link to was conducted on females.  As I understand, the phytoestrogens are a problem in males who are prone to hormonal acne. 

My parents bought some eggs with lots of omega 3 in them and it made my acne and oily skin worse just like taking the supplement. Maybe this isn't true for everyone though and you could try eggs with added omega 3?

I had thought about the eggs too, but when I looked into it a bit more, the hens are fed flax meal, so it may creat the same problem, just as you experienced. 

I'm thinking about massaging a tiny bit of the fish or flax oil on our eyelids (I have this dry eye condition too). 

[alternativista]

Meat, eggs, dairy from pastured, not grain fed, animals will have the EFA ratios they should have and that we should consume.

[gingergirl22]

Meat, eggs, dairy from pastured, not grain fed, animals will have the EFA ratios they should have and that we should consume.

 

 

Thanks for pointing that out alternavista.  I just read about the difference between grass fed and grain fed animal products and the difference in their EFA ratios. This is great to know!

I am considering Chia seeds for the Omega 3s we need too.  So far I am not finding that they are high in phytoestrogens.  Not anywhere near flax and soy anyway. 

Edited by gingergirl22, 11 February 2013 - 11:08 AM.

[JoeBloggs]

Fish oil and oily fish break me out in jawline cysts for some reason. I literally never get cystic acne anymore (unless I eat soy, dairy and oily fish).

 

Ive always suspected fish oils gave me jawline cysts, but everytime I tried it I was already breaking out bad so it was hard to pinpoint.

 

Im pretty much clear now, and literally NEVER get cysts anymore. But a few months ago I ate a whole bunch of smoked mackerel and about a week later I ended up the first jawline cysts Ive had in a long long time. That basically confirmed it for me, I completely avoid oily fish and fish oil capsules now....

 

Its a shame because of the health benefits of omega 3's, but I dont dare experiment with other sources (seeds) just in case.....

 

It might be a oily fish allergy I guess? But I seem to do ok with non oily fish (white fish) although I dont eat it often so its hard to say really. And Ive never heard of having an allergy or intolerance specifically to oily fish but not white fish.

[gingergirl22]

Fish oil and oily fish break me out in jawline cysts for some reason. I literally never get cystic acne anymore (unless I eat soy, dairy and oily fish).

 

Ive always suspected fish oils gave me jawline cysts, but everytime I tried it I was already breaking out bad so it was hard to pinpoint.

 

Im pretty much clear now, and literally NEVER get cysts anymore. But a few months ago I ate a whole bunch of smoked mackerel and about a week later I ended up the first jawline cysts Ive had in a long long time. That basically confirmed it for me, I completely avoid oily fish and fish oil capsules now....

 

Its a shame because of the health benefits of omega 3's, but I dont dare experiment with other sources (seeds) just in case.....

 

It might be a oily fish allergy I guess? But I seem to do ok with non oily fish (white fish) although I dont eat it often so its hard to say really. And Ive never heard of having an allergy or intolerance specifically to oily fish but not white fish.

 

 

Thanks so much for your input!  I am going to try the seeds, because I just don't know how much salmon and fresh tuna I can prepare each week without my family yelling "Enough!!!".  Not to mention the expense.  Sardines, mackerel, and herring are not fish we really like.  So I'll start slowly with the Chia seeds and see what happens. 

 

It could be that you'll be okay with oily fish if you are not having hormonal issues with acne.  I really don't know if there are people who are allergic to fish oils.  I'm trying to make sense of all this and it isn't easy.

 

Best to you!

[JoeBloggs]

Fish oil and oily fish break me out in jawline cysts for some reason. I literally never get cystic acne anymore (unless I eat soy, dairy and oily fish).

 

Ive always suspected fish oils gave me jawline cysts, but everytime I tried it I was already breaking out bad so it was hard to pinpoint.

 

Im pretty much clear now, and literally NEVER get cysts anymore. But a few months ago I ate a whole bunch of smoked mackerel and about a week later I ended up the first jawline cysts Ive had in a long long time. That basically confirmed it for me, I completely avoid oily fish and fish oil capsules now....

 

Its a shame because of the health benefits of omega 3's, but I dont dare experiment with other sources (seeds) just in case.....

 

It might be a oily fish allergy I guess? But I seem to do ok with non oily fish (white fish) although I dont eat it often so its hard to say really. And Ive never heard of having an allergy or intolerance specifically to oily fish but not white fish.

 

 

Thanks so much for your input!  I am going to try the seeds, because I just don't know how much salmon and fresh tuna I can prepare each week without my family yelling "Enough!!!".  Not to mention the expense.  Sardines, mackerel, and herring are not fish we really like.  So I'll start slowly with the Chia seeds and see what happens. 

 

It could be that you'll be okay with oily fish if you are not having hormonal issues with acne.  I really don't know if there are people who are allergic to fish oils.  I'm trying to make sense of all this and it isn't easy.

 

Best to you!

 

Yeah its worth trying the seeds, I remember vaguely going through a period of eating a lot of flaxseed (this stuff http://beneficialhea...rries-360g.html). I was literally eating it by the spoonful and it didnt seem to give me cysts. Back then I wasnt completely clear though so again its hard to be 100% sure. Good luck!

Edited by JoeBloggs, 12 February 2013 - 09:28 AM.

[alternativista]

 

Sardines, mackerel, and herring are not fish we really like.  So I'll start slowly with the Chia seeds and see what happens. 

 

I think mackerel tastes pretty much like tuna.  It's a great fish actually because it reproduces and grows much more rapidly and supposedly doesn't tend to swim at the same depth as dolphins and other victims of commercial fishing.   The only think is that you only want to eat small mackerel.  The large ones live longer and are voraceous predators and so accumulate more mercury. 

[patientx]

Are you male or female?  The study you have a link to was conducted on females.  As I understand, the phytoestrogens are a problem in males who are prone to hormonal acne. 

 

I'm male. Where did you hear that phytoestrogens are bad for male acne? I've never heard of anything like that. My dermatologists recommended flax and soy to me specifically because phytoestrogens are known to help acne.

[alternativista]

 

Are you male or female?  The study you have a link to was conducted on females.  As I understand, the phytoestrogens are a problem in males who are prone to hormonal acne. 

 

I'm male. Where did you hear that phytoestrogens are bad for male acne? I've never heard of anything like that. My dermatologists recommended flax and soy to me specifically because phytoestrogens are known to help acne.

They help some people and hurt others  Usually those whose acne worsens due to phytoestrogens are male. 

[patientx]

They help some people and hurt others  Usually those whose acne worsens due to phytoestrogens are male. 

 

Do you know of any studies showing that? Phytoestrogens like lignans and isoflavones are known 5 alpha reductase inhibitors. How could they worsen acne?

 

The only way I could think of is being allergic to soy or flax. But then again anything could worsen acne if you're allergic to it.

[alternativista]

 

They help some people and hurt others  Usually those whose acne worsens due to phytoestrogens are male. 

 

Do you know of any studies showing that? Phytoestrogens like lignans and isoflavones are known 5 alpha reductase inhibitors. How could they worsen acne?

 

The only way I could think of is being allergic to soy or flax. But then again anything could worsen acne if you're allergic to it.

Yeah, but it depends on your personal imbalance whether they'll help or hurt.  There was a very long thread about it with many people jumping on the bandwagon for a while. At first it seemed to work wonders, then for many people, including the OP, it broke them out horribly and differently from before starting the flax.  The OP was a very big researcher, so I'm sure you'll find studies there.  ndnRomeo was the OP.