Why Our Wrinkles Need Flaxseed Oil

My Skin trouble

For those of you that know me well, you’ll know I’m something of a skincare geek! Ever since I was diagnosed with Psoriasis over 20 years ago {Psoriasis is skin condition characterised by raised, red, scaly patches of skin}. I’ve made it my mission to keep my skin in the best condition possible at whatever age I am.

For the last ten years, I’ve been taking a Flaxseed oil supplement {upon the advice of a nutrionialist} to help reduce inflammation on my skin caused by psoriasis.

New scientific research

Turns out that recent scientific research has given evidence that Flaxseed oil is an effective treatment for wrinkles. As I turn 40, I have to say that I think there’s something in this…

I started to ingest flaxseed at age 30 and ten years on my skin hasn’t {yet} started to get any fine lines and wrinkles. Now, I know there’s some actual science behind this I’m excited to share this surprisingly simple natural wrinkle-fighting remedy with you!

What is flaxseed?

Flaxseed oil comes from the seeds of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum, L.). It’s all natural skincare that you can apply both to your skin as well as taking it as a supplement! Believe me when you do both it’s pretty powerful stuff!

How Flaxseed fights wrinkles

As we age our skin shrinks and flattens out, losing its bounce – the protein and essential fatty acids in flaxseed oil can help prevent this happening and stop wrinkles in their tracks. Flaxseed oil applied topically plumps the skin and helps to repair the skin’s cells, showing a marked improvement in elasticity, firmness, tone and texture.
Skin nourished with flaxseed oil looks brighter and smoother with less fine lines and wrinkles. It’s beneficial for the rehydration of dry, itchy skin because the essential fatty acids prevent the skin from drying out and keep it moist.
Antioxidants found in flaxseed oil are highly concentrated; they help the skin to protect against free-radicals and UV rays.
Its anti-inflammatory properties help to minimise any irritation of the skin or redness, meaning that sunburn or a skin rash may heal quicker once a little of this soothing oil is applied.
Flaxseed oil is extremely beneficial for chronic skin conditions, such as rosacea, acne, dermatitis, eczema or psoriasis, the fatty acids act to balance out the skin’s own oils and reduce any inflammation, helping the skin to repair.
Dry and flaky or dull and blemished skin may be the result of the deficiency of omega-3 in the diet. It is certainly very common for people to comment on how much their skin improves once they start taking a good flaxseed oil like this regularly.

Ingest flaxseed too!

I take a flaxseed oil supplement daily, and I also add it into smoothies! You don’t have to do both, just doing one of these options will help your skin in the most incredible way! Just be sure to ingest it daily and expect results to be gradual over the course of 3 months.

My Flaxseed routine

1. A couple of times a week I add grounded flaxseed into my smoothie. I Put in two heaped table spoon fulls of grounded Flaxseed into whatever smoothy I make. For my favourite flaxseed smoothie, I like to include a handful of kale, pineapple, 300mls of coconut milk and then the ground flaxseed.

2.Everyday I take a Flaxseed oil supplement – I take 2,000mg a day. I always buy organic, cold-pressed flaxseed oil. This means the oil will be pure and full of nutrients!

Where I buy my Flaxseed

Every good health food shop will sell flaxseed. I get my supplements from Amazon. Just search either ‘Cold pressed organic flaxseed oil capsules’ or ‘Ground organic flaxseed’ (if you want it in your smoothies).

Where possible, try to buy the best you can afford. Organic will ALWAYS be best, and the oil must be cold pressed (this means the oil is extracted by not using any heat that could ruin the oil)

Extra beauty tip!

Here’s how I turn my supplement into a night-time serum!

Use alone or under your regular evening skin care routine. Only apply this in the evening. Using this in the day will cause your makeup up to slip right off!

Flaxseed is also incredible when applied topically to the skin too! It can help improve your facial tone and moisturization levels. Not only does the very high omega-3 content in the oil have an anti-inflammatory effect, but it also helps normalize skin lipids and seal in moisture, both of which leads to improved hydration.