The Fatty Acids and the Skin: A Focus on the N-6 Family of Unsaturated Fatty Acids

    January 2012 in “ Human health handbooks ”
    Harald S. Hansen
    TLDR Linoleic acid is important for healthy skin, and while most people get enough from their diet, not having enough can cause skin and hair problems.
    The document from 2012 discusses the importance of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid and the parent compound of the n-6 fatty acid family, for skin health. Deficiency in n-6 fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid, can lead to symptoms such as increased trans-epidermal water loss, scaly skin, hair loss, and poor growth due to its role in the lipid structure of the skin's water permeability barrier. A dietary intake of 1% of energy from linoleic acid is sufficient to prevent these symptoms in young, growing animals, including humans. Linoleic acid is abundant in most vegetable oils, and the Western diet typically contains a higher intake (4–12% of energy) than necessary, making deficiency rare. Additionally, metabolites of linoleic acid and arachidonic acid are involved in various skin functions, including inflammation, sebum production, and cell processes, but the knowledge about their roles in treating skin diseases is still limited.
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