Avocado, also known as alligator pear, is native to south central Mexico and comes in an assortment of shapes, from a round cannonball to a tear drop. While depending on the variety, the flesh of the avocado can range from bright yellow to pale yellow to yellow-green, all avocados have a smooth texture and nutty flavor.

Avocado, A Health Hero

The medical anthropologist John Heinerman, in his book, Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Healing Juices, called avocado “nature’s own green butter” and found that one avocado, about 170 g, contains: 23 mg calcium, 95 mg phosphorous, 1.4 mg iron, 9 mg sodium, 1,386 mg potassium, 660 I.U. vitamin A, 8.6 mg niacin, and 82 mg vitamin C.2

No wonder that this nutritionally dense fruit, used for making dips, chips, smoothies, salads, and other delicacies, can help reduce cholesterol. In fact, including one fresh avocado a day as part of a moderate-fat diet has shown cholesterol-lowering effects,3 and despite its high calorie content—about 110 to 180 Kcal per half, depending on the variety and size of the fruit—it shows no abnormal spike in blood sugar levels in overweight adults.

Avocado, A Skin Savior

Coming back to the fruit’s benefit for your skin, there are multiple ways of using it to tackle skin woes. Regular consumption of avocado nourishes the skin internally, and topical application of its juicy pulp or oil (extracted from the pulp, not seed) moisturizes the skin and heals dryness and acne.

Heinerman mentions that when the fruit, rich in healthy oils and fat, is regularly 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.⁵

Supposedly, the Mayans in Central and South America consumed the fruit extensively to keep the skin youthful and supple.

How Does Avocado Help Your Skin?

For topical use, nothing works better than avocado oil, especially cold-pressed oil, because the refining process takes away a lot of nutrients. This oil is loaded with essential fatty acids, with monounsaturated oleic acid being the key ingredient that gives it a superfood-for-skin status. It comprises 63 percent oleic acid, compared with coconut oil that has only 5 to 10 percent.

It Treats Inflammation, Eczema, And Psoriasis

Oleic acid speeds up cell regeneration and wound healing and aids the body in eliminating microbial infections. This means that this fatty acid present in avocado is perfectly capable of reducing inflammation inside out, making it a good case for healing chronic skin problems like eczema and psoriasis. A 2001 study published in the journal Dermatology states that subjects with psoriasis responded very well in a 12-week period to a combination of avocado oil and vitamin B1.

It Protects Against And Reduces UV Damage

Thanks To The PFA

A 2010 study found that polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFA)—a type of lipid molecules—extracted from avocado can protect the skin from UV ray–induced skin damage, and inflammation, reduce the severity of damage, and even help cut down the risk of skin cancer. The topical application of this oil or even the pulp enhances DNA repair of the skin, protecting it from malignancy.⁷

Not To Forget The Vitamins

The vitamins C and E present in avocado have shown excellent effect in protecting the skin against UV damage, with vitamin C fighting UVA damage and vitamin E fighting the DNA-altering UVB rays.⁸ So if you see your sunscreen or sunblock boasting of avocados, you know why.

It Keeps Away The Signs Of Aging

We know that when our body undergoes too much oxidation, it generates atoms and molecules called free radicals, which start reacting with the cells and damaging them. This causes inflammation as well as premature aging. And if you are undergoing these internally, your skin is bound to show it. We already know avocados relieve inflammation. Here’s how it deals with the unwanted signs of premature aging.

Its Antioxidants Prevent Skin Damage

Its antioxidants, such as vitamins C, E, and carotenoids, prohibit and sometimes also prevent excessive oxidation, keeping the skin in good condition.⁹  It’s a great idea to choose beauty products like sunscreens, moisturizers, and serums loaded with antioxidants.

Its Vits And Fats Boost Collagen

Avocado oil also contains many vitamins: A, B, D, E, K, as well as folic acid, lecithin—a fatty substance with health benefits that occur naturally in a number of plants and animals—and phytonutrients, which are beneficial chemicals produced by plants. All these help you battle aging-related skin damage by strengthening your collagen, the protein found in the skin that keeps it supple and firm.

A Quick Avocado Trick For Your Dry Skin

If you cannot find the easy-to-use pure avocado oil, here’s what you do.

• Puree the avocado pulp after deseeding the fruit.
• Mix it with yogurt or sour cream and apply on your face and neck.
• Let it stay for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Gently rinse it off with water.

This mask will do wonders for dry and sensitive skin. You can even use it on elbows, knees, and heels to rid them of the dryness.

Thanks to the many wonderful benefits of avocado on the skin listed here, getting camera-ready skin just got easier. Try it and let us know