There are many false stories surrounding skin problems and what causes them, and although doctors and dermatologists will point out that altering your diet will not necessarily cure acne, there is a ring of truth surrounding the fact that a healthy diet can minimise the frequency of acne breakouts, and reduce acne causing products in the skin, such as excess oil. There is a mix of general and acne specific diet advice available to help keep your skin healthy.
General Diet Advice
- Make sure your diet is vitamin B rich, which can help avoid many types of skin problems. This is found in whole grain products like cereals, milk and eggs, fish and fresh fruit.
- Monitor the amount of dairy products (which can be fatty and full of calories) and salt in your diet.
- Include fresh fruit, vegetable and starchy products, like potatoes and rice, to help give your skin the vitamins and nutrients it needs.
- A common and seemingly obvious part of any diet advice, but it is important to hydrate the skin with plenty of water every day.
- Collagen is another ingredient which helps you achieve healthy looking skin. To help maintain and strengthen skin cells, make sure vitamin B and zinc are working together in your diet. Zinc rich foods include oysters, red meat, pecan nuts. pumpkin seeds and certain types of flour.
Diet Advice and Acne
- Hormones have a strong link with acne, so including hormone balancing foods in your diet can help reduce the production of excess oil (sebum) which causes acne. Fresh fruit and vegetables, organic milk from cows that haven’t been treated with growth hormones, and essential fatty acids (omega 3 and omega 6) found in products like salmon, olive oil and nuts.
- It’s been suggested by those working in the field of allergy and food intolerance testing that this is an issue that could affect acne. A blood test is available for anyone who thinks they may be intolerant, to help identify any changes needed to their diet.
- Vitamin A should be an important part of everybody’s diet, particularly since it can help reduce the production of sebum (oil) and help keep skin cells healthy. Vitamin A rich foods include spinach, kale, liver, grapefruit and sweet potatoes.
- Reducing the amount of sugar, processed/fried foods, and adding more plants/low fat foods, may help the condition of acne prone skin.
Although adjusting your diet may not be a hard and fast cure for acne, it can help not only reduce the symptoms and frequency of breakouts, but keep your skin healthy and prevent other problems too.
