Hello-

As a child, you may remember receiving a spoonful of cod liver oil from your grandmother.  While this “spoonful of sugar” didn’t necessarily help the “medicine go down”, it nonetheless was a remedy that was popular at that time.  Today, the benefits of cod liver oil for dry skin are still considered worthwhile.

Cod liver oil contains vitamin A, D, and E which are derived from the liver of the cod.  However, there are some manufacturers of cod liver oil who add Vitamin E in a synthetic form, while others use the original source of these vitamins contained in the liver of the cod.

Vitamin E helps in promoting healthy skin, while Vitamin A can prevent such skin conditions as acne and the like.  Vitamin D helps to lower the toxicity found in Vitamin A.  Since dry skin can results from a deficiency of Vitamin A, these three vitamins found in cod liver oil work in tandem to address the problem effectively.

Cod liver oil can be used as a topical agent or taken in capsule form.  What are the health benefits?  When used topically, cod liver oil allows for the acceleration of healing and overall good skin.  Taken orally, cod liver oil actually maintains the supple soft skin and may prevent aging skin signs such as “liver spots”. This oil also has been known to reduce the number of wrinkles on the skin as well.

While it is evident that the benefits of cod liver oil for dry skin are numerous, it should be noted that because this oil contains Vitamin A and D, that additional supplementation of these vitamins may cause side effects.  Thus, pregnant women should consult their doctors before taking cod liver oil.

In addition, there has been recent news regarding high amounts of mercury found in fish.  However, cod liver oil is tested for over 30 contaminants before it is made available to consumers.  Further, cod liver oil does not contain mercury, which can only be found in fish and not the oil itself.

Finally, choosing the right cod liver oil may take a bit of research on your part as some companies utilize synthetic vitamins in the processing of this oil.  There are well known brands of cod liver oil which you can find online or via your pharmacist that contain the appropriate amount of Vitamin A, D, and E.

With the crazy weather we have been having lately, most of which has probably contributed to dry skin, it is clear that cod liver oil not only helps prevent this condition but has been used for other ailments as well.  Just ask grandma!