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How
can emu oil be used to treat baldness
Emu oil, a food by-product, is obtained from the fat of the Emu,
a large flightless bird originally from Australia but now farmed
worldwide for its meat and other products. Emu's have a thick layer
of fat on their backs. It has been suggested that the fat layer
is used as protection from the intense heat in the Australian outback.
About 100 pounds of raw fat can be processed to produce 75 pounds
of refined Emu oil. Emu oil is currently in high demand and refined
pure oil can sell for as much as 300 US dollars per gallon.
Emu oil is an excellent emollient, with skin cell proliferation
properties claimed for it. It was used by Australian Aboriginies
as a skin softener and to treat mior skin problems. The advantage
of Emu oil over other oils is that refined Emu oil is almost entirely
composed of triglycerides, with up to 75% being mono and poly unsatuarated
essential fatty acids (EFAs). This nonphosphorylated fatty acid
oil is highly penetrant through skin. It is very rapidly absorbed
when applied.
Emu oil has been claimed to have several properties. It may contain
antiinflammatory compounds. Anecdotal claims have been made that
Emu oil helps reduce pain and swelling in rheumatoid arthritic joints.
It may also help with sports injuries and various athletes apparently
use Emu oil.
Because Emu oil has low levels of polyunsaturated and saturated
fats it is less likely to oxidate and become rancid. It also means
it is bacteriostatic. Bacterial organisms cannot be cultured in
emu oil. Consequently emu oil has a long shelf life making it ideal
for use in cosmetics along with its other properties. Processed
Emu oil is non allergenic. Few people have adverse reactions to
topical application of Emu oil.
Anti aging and wound healing properties have been claimed for Emu
oil - although the evidence to support such claims is largely anecdotal.
Claims have been made that it may help with treating sun burn, psoriasis,
and minor wound healing. In part this may be due to its anti inflammatory
properties and also due to its emmolient action on the skin. After
application of emu oil, the skin increases in thickness and is better
able to act as a protective barrier reducing water loss from the
body. Simply increasing skin thickness can smooth out wrinkles and
make them less noticeable. However, one studiy has noted that the
improvement in wound healing only occurs if there is a delay between
the time the wound was made and the application of Emu oil. Applying
the Emu oil immediately after the wound was made actually delayed
wound healing.
The anti-aging factor in emu oil was suggested in a study at the
Boston University School of Medicine in which a processed emu oil
known as Kalaya was topically applied to depilated mice in a for
a two-week-long period in a double-blind study comparison to corn
oil. The processed emu oil produced a 20% increase in DNA synthesis
in the mouse skin to which it was applied. Hair follicles were much
more robust and the skin thickness had increased. Dr. Michael Holick,
MD, Ph.D. who conducted these tests said they also discovered that
80% of telogen resting hair follicles were activated and began growing
hair.
However, this information has not ben published in any peer reviewed
medical journal and so the details of the study have not been exposed
to scrutiny by other dermatologists.
How
can emu oil be used to treat baldness references
- Politis MJ, Dmytrowich
A. Promotion of second intention wound healing by emu oil lotion:
comparative results with furasin, polysporin, and cortisone. Plast
Reconstr Surg 1998 Dec;102(7):2404-7
- Zemtsov A, Gaddis
M, Montalvo-Lugo VM. Moisturizing and cosmetic properties of emu
oil: a pilot double blind study. Australas J Dermatol 1996 Aug;37(3):159-61.
Published erratum appears in Australas J Dermatol 1997 May;38(2):104
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