Essential Fatty Acid
Essential fatty acids play an important role in acne control. Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid that the sebaceous glands use as a normal component of sebum. Essential fatty acids are required by the body and most people are more familiar with linoleic as omega 6 oil, flaxseed oil, safflower oil, evening primrose oil, or a number of other terms. Essential fatty acids are very powerful anti-inflammatory agents. Subsequently, sebum made with linoleic acid is actually calming to the skin and follicles.
Modern foods have avoided essential fatty acids in favor of “designer” lipids like trans-fatty acids. Research has found links suggesting that trans-fats may break down the body’s supply of beneficial essential fatty acids. When linoleic acid is not available in the skin, the sebaceous glands produce sebum with oleic acid and this form of sebum is irritating to the skin. Oleic acid promotes blockage that causes blackheads, whiteheads, milia, and acne. Some scientists have suggested that sebum produced with oleic acid is drier, firmer and, therefore, it promotes blockage within the follicles, such as blackheads, milia, and whiteheads.
Due to low consumption of essential fatty acids or high consumption of trans-fats or hereditary factors that frequently involve digestive enzyme issues, some people have systemic deficiency of essential fatty acids and linoleic acid. This condition becomes a driving factor in acne, such as adult acne, cystic acne, acne vulgaris, and other skin problems.
Linoleic acid acts as an anti-inflammatory agent that reduces acne and retains moisture. Linoleic acid keeps sebum flowing preventing comedones. With a linoleic deficiency, sebum becomes dry and is more likely to block follicles. Consuming omega-6 fats helps restore linoleic acid levels, thus keeping sebum flowing and the follicles clear.
Identifying Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency:
A volume of whiteheads are almost always involved with linoleic acid deficiency and they can develop very quickly. Blackheads may or may not be present. The condition may or may not have developed into acne, usually cystic acne. In most cases the skin tends to be dry and may be prone to inflammation, but this may not always be the case. Generally, other forms of prescriptive and non-prescriptive acne treatments have been unsuccessful.
Wheat Induced Fatty Acid Deficient
Few whiteheads Several whiteheads
Normal to oily skin Dry skin
Inflammation Inflammation
BiON Success:
BiON products achieve control of acne in over 90% of cases. The other 10% of cases involve chronic acne that has not responded to any form of treatment, with the possible exception of Accutane. Control of this 10% of cases can be achieved, but requires BiON acne products in combination with rather simple diet modifications. About 2% to 3% of this chronic acne group does not digest or absorb linoleic acid well and these people can be identified by a volume of milia (whiteheads) and or blackheads. The BiON products contain linoleic acid but additional dietary supplementation is beneficial to speed the control of acne and the reduction of whiteheads, milia and blackheads. Skin care professionals, such as estheticians, dermatologists and plastic surgeons, who carry BiON products can obtain additional specific information from the BiON office regarding supplementation.
BiON products achieve control of acne in over 90% of cases. The other 10% of cases involve chronic acne that has not responded to any form of treatment, with the possible exception of Accutane. Control of this 10% of cases can be achieved, but requires BiON acne products in combination with rather simple diet modifications. About 2% to 3% of this chronic acne group does not digest or absorb linoleic acid well and these people can be identified by a volume of milia (whiteheads) and or blackheads. The BiON products contain linoleic acid but additional dietary supplementation is beneficial to speed the control of acne and the reduction of whiteheads, milia and blackheads. Skin care professionals, such as estheticians, dermatologists and plastic surgeons, who carry BiON products can obtain additional specific information from the BiON office regarding supplementation.
