Avocado Benefits For Your Skin
There are a multitude of health benefits your body will enjoy from eating avocados. We are going to focus primarily on the avocados’ benefits for the skin. Avocados are loaded with over 20 important vitamins and minerals and healthy fats that are all required for healthy skin and the production of collagen and elastin. The nutrients and fibres found in avocados are also important for overall gut health which has been linked to clear, glowing skin. I think it’s safe to say avocados are nature’s superfood so lets take a closer look.
What makes avocados so good for your skin?
1. Healthy fats – Avocados contain poly-unsaturated fats and monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic and linoletic acids which protect your skin. Research from The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University shows that Monounsaturated fats keep the top layer of your skin moist so it’s soft and healthy looking. Polyunsaturated fatty acids guard skin from sun damage and protect against symptoms of skin sensitivity and inflammation. Oleic and linoleic acids also keep our hearts healthy and help lower cholesterol.
2. Antioxidants – When you metabolize food or are exposed to pollutants, your body makes free radicals. Free radicals harm cells, including skin cells. Antioxidants found in avocados, such as carotenoids, vitamin E and vitamin C, help protect against the damage of free radicals. One particular carotenoid, lutein, promotes the water content and elasticity of skin and decreases the destruction of beneficial skin lipids. Vitamin E protects you from ultraviolet light.
3. Collagen Production – Avocados are loaded with vitamins A, B, C, E, K, potassium, phosphorus and calcium. Your body needs these vitamins, especially vitamin C to make collagen. Collagen is the main structural component of skin and the source of its elasticity and firmness.
4. Biotin – Avocados contain between 2 and 6 micrograms of biotin or between 6 and 16 percent of the Dietary Reference Intake. Biotin is part of the B complex vitamins. All the B vitamins are necessary for healthy skin, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Without enough biotin, you may develop dry skin and a scaly, red rash.
Top Benefits Avocados for Your Skin:
- Moisturizes the skin deeply
- Smoothes out wrinkles
- Protects the skin from sun damage
- Treat Sunburn
- Prevents and treats acne
- Heals wounds
- Helps with Psoriasis
1. Moisturizes Your Skin
The healthy fats in avocado are great for moisturizing your skin. Avocado flesh contains one of the highest naturally occurring sources of oleic acid at an incredible 63%.
When avocado is consumed, the sebaceous glands secrete the oily semi-fluid natural sebum that keeps the skin hydrated and also helps the muscles and joints stay agile.
Use avocado as a topical treatment:
After you scoop out the fruit to eat, you can rub the fleshy side of the peel on your skin. There are also several types of facemask one can make using avocados as one of the main ingredients and combining it with honey, yogurt and olive oil.
2. Smooths Out Wrinkles
As we age our skin develops fine lines and wrinkles but avocados can help turn back the clock. Avocado contain antioxidants like vitamins C and E that fight free radicals which damage the skin. Other chemicals found in avocado oil stimulate the synthesis of collagen and elastin fibers. Collagen and elastin are proteins responsible for maintaining the structure and elasticity of your skin. Plus, oleic acid in avocado can reach the second layer of the skin and nourish it well to prevent wrinkles triggered by dryness.
3. Protects Your Skin From The Sun
The sun exposes your skin to harmful ultraviolet rays that cause DNA damage (which can lead to skin cancer) and inflammation. Research shows that the polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols found in avocados can reduce both radiation-induced cellular damage and skin inflammation.
In fact, applying avocado pulp or oil topically enhances DNA repair of the skin after sun exposure, protecting it from malignancy.
However, do keep in mind that avocado can’t act as a sunscreen. So remember to also use a sunscreen to protect your skin.
4. Treat Sunburns
It’s all fun and games at the beach until you wake up the next morning with a nasty sunburn. Ease the pain and prevent chafing by applying avocados directly to the spot.
5. Prevents And Treats Acne
There is lots of new promising research about the benefits that avocados have for gut health. We already know that an unhealthy gut microbiome is one of the contributing factors for many people suffering with acne.
Avocados also contains linoleic acid, the lack of which in the sebaceous glands on the skin is linked to acne. So a regular avocado oil massage can prevent acne too.
Avocados also have the ability to inhibit an enzyme known as 5-alpha reductase which is involved in making your skin excessively oily and making it acne-prone.
6. Heals Wounds
An important 2013 Study found a link between the application or consumption of avocado extract leads to quicker growth of new skin cells and helped wounds heal faster in rats. We recommend applying avocado to chapped lips. It helps moisturize and heal them in one easy step.
7. Helps With Psoriasis
Several studies have demonstrated that avocado can have a positive effect on Psoriasis (a skin condition that causes flaky, red, crusty skin). And if you’re looking for a treatment for this condition, avocado oil might be able to help. One study found that a combination of vitamin B12 and avocado oil was effective at reducing the severity of the skin irritation caused by psoriasis.