by Bruce Fife
Once a free-radical reaction is started, it can cause a chain reaction that produces more free radicals, which ultimately damages thousands of molecules. The only way our body has to fight them is with antioxidants. When a free radical comes into contact with an antioxidant, the chain reaction is stopped. For this reason, it’s good to have plenty of antioxidants available in our cells and tissues to protect us. The number of antioxidants we have in our tissues is determined to a large extent by the nutrients in our diet.
Free-radical reactions occur in the body constantly, and they are an unavoidable result of living and breathing. However, some people experience more free-radical damage than others. The reason is that there are many environmental factors that increase the number of free-radical reactions we are subjected to. For example, a diet low in antioxidant nutrients (vitamins A, C, and E, for example) will lower the amount of antioxidants our cells have available to protect themselves. Cigarette smoke and pollution readily create free radicals. Radiation, including ultraviolet light, can stimulate free-radical generation. Chemicals such as pesticides and food additives also increase free-radical activity. One substance that is commonly used in our food, and even in body-care products, and that leads to a great deal of free radicals is oxidized vegetable oil.
Conventional processing strips polyunsaturated oils from the natural antioxidants that protect them. Without these antioxidants, they are highly prone to free-radical generation, both inside and outside of the body. When we eat processed oils, our body has to use antioxidants to fight off the free radicals contained in the oil, resulting in a deficiency in vitamin E and other antioxidants. When we put these types of oils on our skin they also create free radicals, causing permanent damage to connective tissues. This is why you should be very careful about the types of oils you use on your skin. If you use a lotion or cream containing this type of oil you are, in effect, causing your skin to age faster. The lotion may bring temporary improvement but accelerate aging of the skin and even promote skin cancer.
One of the classic signs of old age is the appearance of brown, frecklelike spots on the skin. This pigment is called lipofuscin. It is also known as aging spots or liver spots. It is a sign of free-radical deterioration of the lipids (fats) in our skin, thus the name lipofuscin. Oxidation of polyunsaturated fats and protein by free-radical activity in the skin is recognized as the major cause of liver spots. Liver spots don’t ordinarily hurt or show any signs of discomfort. If we couldn’t see them we wouldn’t even know they were there. But they do affect our health and our appearance.
While liver spots are clearly seen on the skin, they also form in other tissues throughout the body—intestines, lungs, kidney, brain, and so on. They represent areas that are damaged by free-radical reactions. The more you have on your skin, the more you have inside your body, and the more damage or “aging” your tissues have undergone. To some degree you can judge the damage free radicals have done to the inside of your body by the size and number of liver spots on your skin. The more you have and the bigger they are, the more free-radical damage has occurred. All the tissues affected are damaged to some degree. If this occurs in your intestine, it can affect the organ’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients. In the brain it will affect mental ability. Likewise, free radicals break down connective tissues, causing sagging and loss of function of the skin. And the same thing happens to the internal organs; they sag and become deformed. The skin acts as a window by which we can see inside the body. What we look like on the outside reflects, to a large part, what is happening on the inside.
Because cells cannot dispose of the lipofuscin pigment, it gradually accumulates within many cells of the body as we age. Once lipofuscin pigment develops, it tends to stick around for life, but you can prevent further oxidation and perhaps even reduce the spots you already have by using the right kind of oils in your diet and on your skin.
HEALING YOUR SKIN WITH COCONUT OIL
The ideal lotion is one that not only softens the skin but also protects it against damage, promotes healing, and gives it a more youthful, healthy appearance. Pure coconut oil is the best natural skin lotion available. It prevents free-radical formation and the damage it causes. It can help prevent the skin from developing liver spots and other blemishes caused by aging and overexposure to sunlight. It helps to keep connective tissues strong and supple so that the skin doesn’t sag and wrinkle. In some cases it can even restore damaged or diseased skin. I’ve seen precancerous lesions completely disappear with the daily use of coconut oil.
The Polynesians, who traditionally wear very little clothing, have for generations been exposed to the hot blistering sun, yet have beautiful healthy skin without blemishes and without cancer. The reason is they eat coconuts and use the oil on their bodies as a lotion. The oil is absorbed into the skin and into the cell structure of the connective tissues, limiting the damage excessive sun exposure can cause. Their skin remains undamaged even when exposed to long hours in the hot sun.
The difference between coconut oil and other creams and lotions is that the latter are made to bring immediate, temporary relief. Coconut oil, on the other hand, not only brings quick relief but also aids in the healing and repairing process. Most lotions do the skin no lasting benefit, and many actually accelerate the aging process. Why take the risk of permanently damaging the skin when you can easily use coconut oil to help bring back its youthful appearance?
Coconut oil can make your skin look more youthful. The surface of the skin consists of a layer of dead cells. As these dead cells fall off, new cells take their place. As we age, this process slows down, and dead cells tend to accumulate, giving the skin a rough, flaky texture. Coconut oil aids in removing dead cells on the outer surface of the skin, making the skin smoother, enabling it to reflect light more evenly, creating a healthier, more youthful appearance. The skin “shines” because light reflects better off evenly textured skin.
The removal of excessive dead skin and the strengthening of underlying tissues are two of the key advantages to using coconut oil as a skin lotion. Sometimes even young people can be troubled with chapped or excessively dry skin, producing an abnormally thick and often irritating layer of dead cells. Coconut oil not only provides immediate relief but often brings lasting improvement as well. People with a variety of skin problems have experienced remarkable results from using coconut oil. Many people who have tried it won’t use anything else.
When using coconut oil as a lotion, it is best to apply a small amount and reapply it as often as necessary. When first applied it may seem like you’re spreading a very oily substance on your skin, but because it is quickly absorbed, it doesn’t leave a layer of greasy film the way many commercial lotions and oils do. If you apply too much oil all at once, the skin becomes saturated and will not absorb it all. This will leave a greasy film. People with extremely dry skin need to reapply the oil often when they first start using it. Some people with this problem desire the greasiness common with many lotions to soften extremely dry or hardened skin. At first they don’t think the coconut oil does enough because it is absorbed so quickly. With coconut oil you will need to reapply the oil more often when the skin is very dry. The real benefit of coconut oil will come with repeated use over time. While other lotions temporarily soften dry skin, they won’t heal it. Coconut oil will gradually soften the skin, removing dead layers, and encourage the growth of new, healthier tissue.
* * *
“For a number of years I had been troubled occasionally with severely dry, cracked skin on my hands. It would come without warning and persist for a couple of months, then gradually get better. Nothing I did seemed to help. The last time it appeared was the most severe. At times the skin would be so dry it would crack and bleed. My wife avoided holding my hand because she said it felt like sandpaper. And it did!
“I tried a variety of creams and lotions without success. The condition persisted for over a year, much longer than it ever had before. I then learned about coconut
oil and how good it is for the skin. I bought some coconut oil and began applying it to my hands. Immediately I noticed a difference. I hated to use lotions because they often left a greasy or sticky film on my hands, but coconut oil soaked into the skin without that feeling. Best of all, within a couple of weeks my rough, dry skin went away—permanently. My hands are now very smooth and soft. When I’m out with my wife, she gladly takes hold of my hand, just as she used to do. Coconut oil is without reservation the best skin care product I have ever used.”
—Tom M.
* * *
If dryness and cracking are severe, I recommend applying a liberal amount of coconut oil to the affected area and then wrapping it loosely in plastic (so it doesn’t drip all over the place) before going to sleep at night. In the morning remove the plastic and wash off the excess oil. Do this every night until the condition improves. A waterproof, self-adhesive bandage made by 3M, called Tegaderm, makes an excellent wrapping for this purpose.
PROTECTING THE SKIN FROM GERMS
Whether it is applied topically or taken internally, coconut oil helps to keep skin young, healthy, and free of disease. When coconut oil is consumed in the diet and, to some extent, when it is applied directly, antiseptic fatty acids help to prevent fungal and bacterial infections in the skin. The Polynesians who use it regularly are rarely troubled by skin infections or acne.
Our skin acts as a protective covering, shielding us from harm much like a suit of flexible armor. It provides a protective barrier between us and literally millions of disease-causing germs that we come into contact with each day. If it were not for our skin, we could not survive; even organisms that are ordinarily harmless would become deadly.
The only way to gain entry into the body, other than through the natural openings such as the nose and mouth, is by penetrating the skin. When the skin’s defenses break down, infections can result. Acne, ringworm, herpes, boils, athlete’s foot, and warts are just some of the infectious conditions that can affect the skin and body.
Our skin is more than simply a covering. If that was all it was, we would literally be covered with disease-causing germs just waiting for an opportunity to gain entry into the body. The slightest cut, even a tiny scratch, would allow a multitude of these troublemakers into the body, causing disease and perhaps death. Fortunately, the skin provides not only a physical barrier but a chemical one as well. The chemical environment on the surface of healthy skin is inhospitable to most harmful germs. As a consequence, organisms that cause disease are few in number. Most cuts do not end up becoming infected because the skin is relatively free from harmful germs. However, if a wound is made by an object such as a dirty nail that is covered in dangerous microorganisms, they bypass the skin’s physical and chemical barriers, and infection often results.
The biggest chemical barrier to infectious organisms is the acid layer on the skin. Healthy skin has a pH of about 5, making it slightly acidic. Our sweat (containing uric and lactic acids) and body oils promote this acidic environment. For this reason, sweat and oil do us good. Harmless bacteria that can tolerate the acid live on the skin, but troublesome bacteria can’t thrive, and their numbers are few.
The oil our bodies produce, called sebum, is secreted by oil glands (sebaceous glands) that are located at the root of every hair as well as in other places. This oil is very important to skin health. It softens and lubricates the skin and hair and prevents the skin from drying and cracking. Sebum also contains medium-chain fatty acids, in the form of medium-chain triglycerides, that can be released to fight harmful germs.
Our skin is home to many tiny organisms, most of which are harmless; some are even beneficial. Lipophilic bacteria are essential to the healthy environment on our skin. They feed on the sebum, breaking down the triglycerides—three fatty acids joined by a glycerol molecule. (Sebum, as well as all dietary fats [e.g. coconut oil, corn oil, soybean oil, etc.], is composed primarily of triglycerides.) These bacteria feed on the glycerol molecule that holds the fatty acids together. When the glycerol is removed, the fatty acids are freed and become independent of one another: this is what is called a free fatty acid.
Medium-chain fatty acids bound together as triglycerides have no antimicrobial properties, but when broken down into free fatty acids, they become powerful antimicrobials that can kill disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Thus the combination of the skin’s pH and these MCFAs provide a protective chemical layer on the skin that prevents infection from these microorganisms.
Most, if not all, mammals utilize the antimicrobial property of medium-chain fatty acids to protect themselves from infection. As in humans, these fatty acids make up a part of the oil excreted by the skin. In the wild, animals are left to nature and instinct to heal from injury. Bites and scratches are common occurrences, especially from encounters with predators. Wounds from these animals can often cause infection in a victim that is lucky enough to escape with its life. Instinctively, injured animals will lick the wound to clean it out and to spread body oils into the injured tissue. These oils disinfect the wound, thus protecting the animal from infection. Likewise, when we cut a finger we instinctively put the injured part of the finger in our mouths.
The saliva also helps to increase the amount of MCFAs on the skin. Saliva contains an enzyme called lingual lipase, which begins the process of breaking fats down into individual fatty acids. This enzyme readily breaks down the medium-chain triglycerides in dietary fats and body oils (sebum) into free medium-chain fatty acids. Fats and oils made of long-chain fatty acids, as most all dietary fats are, need the addition of gastric and pancreatic enzymes to break them all the way down to individual fatty acids.
Animals often cleanse themselves by licking their fur, coating it with salivary enzymes that can convert body oils into protective free MCFAs. Licking a wound also mixes saliva with the oils on the skin and hair, producing more medium-chain fatty acids that can help fight infection. Some animals seem to produce more of these protective fatty acids than others. The porcupine is one of these. The porcupine’s quills make an intimidating weapon; unfortunately, these critters can accidentally impale themselves or other porcupines. Dr. Uldis Roze, a biology professor at Queens College in New York, speculates that the high amount of protective fatty acids is a defense against self-inflicted wounds (Nochan, 1994). Dr. Roze found out about the antimicrobial properties of fatty acids on porcupine quills the hard way. His research involves tracking porcupines, capturing them, and attaching radio collars. One day he followed a porcupine up a tree and in his attempt to capture it took a quill in his upper arm. Unable to remove the quill, he waited for it to work itself out. A few days later when the quill came through, Dr. Roze was surprised that the deep puncture wound remained free from infection. He reasoned that a wood splinter traveling the same path would almost certainly have caused a serious infection. Roze theorized that the oil on the quill contained antibiotic properties that protected him. This theory was verified when the oil was analyzed and tested. The medium-chain fatty acids in the oil proved to be the secret. His studies showed that these fatty acids could kill several types of bacteria that are often treated by penicillin, including streptococcus and staphylococcus.
He approached the pharmaceutical industry in an attempt to interest them in producing an antibiotic ointment or medication using these fatty acids. He was turned down because medium-chain fatty acids are readily available, natural substances and therefore could not be protected by a patent.
We all have this protection on our skin to various degrees. Primarily because of the action of friendly bacteria, the oil on the surface of your skin and hair is composed of between 40 to 60 percent free fatty acids, among them the medium-chain fatty acids that have antimicrobial properties. They provide the protective layer on the skin that kills harmful germs.
Adults produce more sebum than children and therefore have a greater degree of protection from skin infections. The antimicrobial effects of MCFAs in sebum have been observed at least
as far back as the 1940s. At the time it was noted that children suffering with scalp ringworm (a skin fungus) were cured spontaneously when sebum secretion increased as they reached puberty.
Medium-chain fatty acids similar to those in sebum are found abundantly in coconut oil. The fatty acids in coconut oil, like all other dietary oils, are joined together as triglycerides. Triglycerides, as such, have no antimicrobial properties, even when they are made of MCFAs. However, when we eat medium-chain triglycerides, our bodies convert them into monoglycerides and free fatty acids, which do have antimicrobial properties.
When coconut oil, which is made of triglycerides, is put on the skin, it doesn’t have any immediate antimicrobial action. However, the bacteria that are always present on the skin turn these triglycerides into free fatty acids, just as they do with sebum. The result is an increase in the number of antimicrobial fatty acids on the skin and protection from infection. The free fatty acids also help to contribute to the acidic environment on the skin, which repels disease-causing germs. After all, fatty acids are acidic and therefore support the acid layer on the skin.
When bathing or showering, soap washes the protective layer of oil and acid off our skin. Often afterward the skin becomes tight and dry. Adding moisturizers helps the skin feel better, but it does not replace the acid or the protective MCFAs that were removed. Your skin is vulnerable to infection at this time. You would think that your body would be clean and germ free after a bath. But germs are everywhere, floating in the air, on our clothes and everything we touch. Many germs survive washing by hiding in cracks and folds of the skin. Before long your skin is again teaming with microscopic life, both good and bad. Until sweat and oils return to reestablish the body’s chemical barrier, your skin is vulnerable to infection. If you have a cut or cracked skin, this can allow streptococcus, staphylococcus, and other harmful germs entry into the body. By using a coconut or palm kernel oil–based lotion, you can quickly help reestablish the skin’s natural antimicrobial and acid barrier. If you are troubled with skin infections or want to avoid infections, it would be to your benefit to use coconut oil after every bath.