Start with food What might affect one person may not affect another because all of our bodies are different. Diary your food intake and compare your food consumption to your breakouts. Notice if your complexion changes when you eliminate certain drinks or food groups from your diet like dairy, caffeine, and refined sugars, which are all common breakout triggers.



Hydrate Daily Don't let yourself get thirsty. Keeping your skin hydrated is imperative. Dry, taut skin may mean that your skin is clean, but it is a common misnomer that this is a good thing. When your skin is this dry it will overcompensate by producing more oil, which will clog your pores. It's important that you drink plenty of water and other healthy fluids and moisturize multiple times a day.

Make sure you have enough vitamin A There is proof that those with severe acne also have low levels of vitamin A in their system. Vitamin A can be consumed in foods like spinach, egg yolks, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes and beef, but it could also be beneficial to take a supplement containing vitamin A. With enough vitamin A your skin will be able to rebuild itself more effectively as well. Vitamin A will reduce dry, flaky skin and will also expedite the healing of existing acne.

The new buzzword: antioxidants Alpha-lipoic acid and vitamins C and E are beneficial antioxidants. They are obtainable through foods like potatoes, broccoli, citrus fruits, seeds, and green leafy vegetables, and of course through supplements. Antioxidants fight off harmful free radicals in the environment that can damage the skin, which makes antioxidants important to any diet. Alpha lipoic acid is helpful in skin renewal, which aids in diminishing acne scars, some studies say.

About omega 3, don't forget If you have black heads or very dry skin that could be a sign that you, like many of us, do not consume enough of this essential fatty acid. Omega 3 is in fish or fish oil supplements and controls oil production and maintains skin hydration.

Vegetarians need more zinc If you are a vegetarian or if you do not include a lot of shell fish or poultry (like chicken or oysters) in your diet, you may have a hard time consuming enough zinc. A zinc supplement may be helpful because zinc aids in controlling your skin's oil production.