Skincare Benefits of Avocado Oil

The avocadois more than an ultra-trendy foodspreadon toast,added tosmoothies, andseen onsocial-media posts. It is an excellent source of avocado oil, an amazing oil that provides skincare benefits.Avocado oil is a rich source not only of omega-3 fatty acids, butalso of vitamins A, D, and E, of sterolins, and of lecithin—all of which have properties which makeittruly wonderful in skincare. Avocado oil is light enough so that it can easily penetrate the skin, but at the same timeisthick enough to form a protective barrier, keeping hydration in and environmental contaminants out. 

The fruit—which is technically a berry—has ahighoil contentand was prized bythe Aztecs, whoused it as a food stapleas well as askin and haircare adjutant. In some formulations, avocado oilisreferred to as vegetable butter or butter pear, though to be sure that what you’re getting is pure avocado oil, look for it by name on the ingredients’ list of skincare products you purchase, and always be sure you’re getting 100% USDA-Certified organic avocado oil.

Avocado oil is a rich source of oleic acid (also known as omega-9 fatty acid) and contains a mixture of other fatty acids that are not only beneficial to healthy skin, butalso in studies have been shown to aid in healing cuts, abrasions, and other surface wounds. In skincare products formulated for topical use, avocado oil promotes an increase in collagen production while simultaneously decreasing inflammation in the epidermis layer of skin.Increased collagen production leads to fuller, smoother, and more suppleskin, whileitsanti-inflammatoryabilities havebeen shown to promote rapid healing.Scientific studiesindicate that avocado oil may provide new options for medical treatment of burns and superficialskinwounds.

In addition to being an excellent moisturizer, avocado oil contains antioxidants that help heal and soothe skin, especiallysunburn damagedskin. Avocado oil contains vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids, and phenolic acids which are effective at guarding against and healing the action of free-radical compounds, which are among the maincauses of detrimentalchanges in theskin and are commonly the result of exposure to UV light and atmospheric pollutants. Free radicals areunstable and capable of damaging healthy skin and tissue cells. Cells damaged by free radicals caneven result incancer.

Avocado oil is also a rich source of sterolins, which are naturally produced steroids that are free of many negative side effects commonly associated with artificially-produced, pharmaceutical-steroid compounds. Sterolins are instrumental in helping the cells of the deeper layers of skin boost collagen production, which results in skin which is fuller and more elastic. The increased collagen intheskin treated with avocado oil helps tofadeor even erase the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Sterolin can also be used as an effective treatment for hyperpigmentation (age spots),reducing or eliminating dark blemishes on the surface of the skin, while simultaneouslyrestoring softness and suppleness by penetratingthe skin’supper layers and locking in hydration. Avocado oil is also high in lecithin, which is a lipid (or kind of beneficial fat) that helps heal the skin and delivers beneficial nutrients directly to the deeper layers of skin and even into the bloodstream.

Due to the many nutrients contained in avocado oil, itaids insoftening rough and cracked skin. The outermost layer of skin—the epidermis—can easily absorb nutrients found in avocado oil, which not only heals and protects existing skin, but also helps in the formation of new skin cells. The antioxidants and vitamins in avocado oil may even helpto heal dry, irritated, and flaky skin associated with skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis.Peoplesuffering from these skin conditions may wish to first test a patch of skin by applying avocado oil to ensure that the oil does not trigger or aggravate their condition, but in the vast majority of cases, avocado oil is far more likely to bring reliefby mitigatingsymptoms.