Will an Acne Diet Help Your Skin Condition?

If you’re a teen with an acne problem, you’re far from the only one. Teen acne is a problem that has existed since long before you were born, and for most of history, teens just had to live with it. Fortunately, today there are many options for dealing with teen acne, from improving hygiene, to benzoyl peroxide, to eating the right acne diet. That’s right; you can change your diet to improve your acne. It may be hard to believe that an acne diet can work, but it can, and furthermore such a diet has many other health benefits. Your parents probably buy your food, and they will probably be thrilled to see that you are eating healthier, so you really have nothing to lose.

What’s in an Acne Diet?

As you might have guessed, an acne diet is heavy on fruits and vegetables. Your goal is to eat foods rich in certain antioxidants. Antioxidants have tremendous restorative power for your skin and all the cells in your body. Certain antioxidant rich foods, like bilberries and blueberries, also have an anti-inflammatory affect, and anti-inflammatories (also found in essential minerals like zinc), have been indicated in reduction of acne. Vegetables like carrots are heavy in vitamin A, and retinol, a vitamin A derivative, is frequently prescribed by dermatologists as a treatment for acne. In addition to fruits and vegetables, you will also want to add certain kinds of fish and nuts to your diet. These foods contain omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a miraculous substance that is believed to contribute significantly to coronary artery health. While heart disease isn’t something you need to worry about now, omega-3s also have anti-inflammatory properties that may improve your acne situation.

What Isn’t In an Acne Diet?

You probably think you know what foods may make your teen acne worse, but the answer to this one might surprise you. Pizza and chocolate are not particular dangers, although cheese and sugar should be avoided. The oil in pizza has no relationship to the oil that contributes to acne. Leaving pizza and chocolate out of your acne diet may be good for your general health, but it won’t necessarily change your level of acne. The real villains when it comes to acne diets are hormones. Hormones can signal your skin to increase production of sebum, oil produced by your sebaceous glands which is the oil that contributes to acne. To avoid any additional sebum production, you may want to cut down your intake of milk and other dairy products, of simple carbohydrates, and of sugary snacks and drinks.

How Can You Make Your Own Acne Diet?

As a teen, preparing your own diet may seem like a complex chore, but it doesn’t have to be. Simply identify those antioxidant and omega-3 rich foods and incorporate them into your diet. It isn’t too hard to make sure you have blueberries around to snack on, or to cut down a little bit on your cheese consumption. Ask your parents to help by serving salmon or other omega-3 rich fish a couple of times a week. When you see how much better you look and feel after a few weeks on an acne diet, it probably won’t be that hard to stick to at all.