BoomerGirl Diary

If you’re looking to diet this year for the sake of your waistline, there could be an added bonus.

Eating healthy can help the way your skin looks, too.

“There are two components that go into (healthy skin),” says Dr. Daniel Aires, professor of dermatology and director of the division of dermatology at the Kansas University Medical Center. “One is what you do from the outside in, and that’s what most people think of — makeup, sunscreen or a potion. But then the other big component for healthy skin is from the inside out, and that’s actually the bigger component.”

Specifically, he says, diet can help prevent and treat conditions that are caused by skin inflammation, including acne and psoriasis.

Aires suggests a diet — such as the South Beach diet — that is low in carbohydrates. Staying away from sugars, white breads and potatoes makes breakouts less likely, he says.

An Australian study that was released in the fall confirmed Aires’ assertion. Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology studied two groups of young men with mild-to-moderate acne problems.

One group, which was told to eat a diet low in sugar, saw improvement in its acne. The other, which had a more typical Western diet, didn’t see that improvement.

Aires also suggests two other types of foods with anti-inflammatory traits. One is omega-3 fatty acids, and Aires suggests taking frozen fish oil tablets in the morning for that.

The other is foods high in antioxidants, such as berries, cherries and tomato sauce.

He also suggests drinking a lot of water to help skin tone.

“There have been some studies on that, showing the skin of people who drink a lot of water looks better,” Aires says. “It is more hydrated, and when they test it for so-called skin turgor (elasticity), they do look better. The question is, is there a long-term benefit to the skin itself? That’s not yet been established.”

Dr. Lee Bittenbender, with Dermatology Center of Lawrence, Kan., agrees there are some connections between food and skin. For instance, high triglyceride levels can lead to a skin breakout.

But he doesn’t think the connection is so strong to alter diets significantly. He says more research needs to be done to determine the exact links between diet and skin.

“There are a lot of myths about diet, particularly as it pertains to acne,” Bittenbender says. “People often intuitively accept that chocolate causes acne. But if you eat an overall healthy diet, I tell people not to feel guilty if you want to have a Coke or candy bar.”

He says while there might not be long-term health implications for healthy skin, good skin tone can have psychological and social effects.

“If people have good, healthy skin, they are typically going to feel better,” Bittenbender says. “They feel more confident. That’s why I think people come in and treat their acne, and have their wrinkles treated or age spots. It may not be life-threatening, but it may be a problem.”