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"Ask most dermatologists what you should [eat to help improve your skin](/fooddiet/2011/08/antiaging-foods-slideshow) and you'll probably get a vague answer about a [balanced diet](/goal) and plenty of water. \\\"Doctors have been taught to be very skeptical about nutritional approaches to health, because past advice wasn't based on hard science,\\\" says dermatologist Valori Treloar, M.D., coauthor of *The Clear Skin Diet.* But their skepticism is fading as more patients sing the praises of [food's skin-morphing powers](/fooddiet/2011/08/antiaging-foods-slideshow), and newer research backs them up. Take [teens with acne](/beauty/2009/04/skin-care-basics): They swear that chocolate makes breakouts worse, and (vindication!) a preliminary study of 18- to 35-year-olds presented at this year's American Academy of Dermatology conference suggests they're right.\\n\\nAs the proof trickles in, experts are also realizing why reliable studies on nutrition and skin are so hard to find, Dr. Treloar says: They're expensive, and people in food studies aren't always so hot at sticking to diets. And then there's the complexity of how nutrients work together in the body. For instance, after vitamin E wipes up destructive free radicals, it becomes oxidized and useless. Vitamin C restores E to its original form, but in the process, C becomes oxidized and needs yet another element to become helpful again. Interactions like these make it nearly impossible to credit one nutrient for healthy, glowy skin\u2014and explain why foods tend to have more of an effect on your body than supplements do, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, R.D., nutrition advisor to [YouBeauty.com](http://YouBeauty.com).\\n\\nSold? We were! So we developed three diets\u2014one each to tackle acne; dry, dull skin; and aging\u2014that basically involve filling up on delicious [foods rich in nutrients with face-saving virtues](/beauty/2008/10/clear-skin-diet). And don't be afraid to pile your plate high: It's practically impossible to OD on nutrients through diet alone. All you have to do is ID your top skin woe and dish up a gorgeous future.\\n\\n### The Problem: Acne\\n\\nMean girls don't always disappear after high school, and neither do embarrassing breakouts. But getting plenty of these three nutrients can help you [banish blemishes](/beauty/2009/03/beauty-boot-camp-alexandra). (Sadly, the snobs may still linger.)\\n\\n__Vitamin A__ \\\"This antioxidant thins the epidermis, or outer layer of skin, which produces dead cells that can clog pores,\\\" explains Jody Levine, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. It also dries up sebum, the gross, oily, waxy stuff your skin glands produce that mixes with dead skin cells to create the clogs and transport you to Zitville. The daily value (DV) of A is 5,000 international units (IUs), so get at least that much, and pair it with some healthy fats such as [olive oil or avocado](/health/blogs/healthyself/2011/08/6-high-fat-foods-that-are-good.html): A is a fat-soluble vitamin, so your body will absorb it better.\\n\\n__Good sources__ Sweet potatoes (28,000 IUs each); leafy greens such as spinach (23,000 IUs per chopped, cooked cup), kale (19,000 IUs per cooked cup) and broccoli (2,400 IUs per cooked cup); bright red, yellow and orange produce such as carrots (27,000 IUs per cooked cup), cantaloupe (5,400 IUs per cup), red bell peppers (4,700 IUs per cup) and red chile peppers (428 IUs each); asparagus (600 IUs per four spears)\\n\\n__Zinc__ The mineral helps tame skin's oil production; less oil (if you have an excess of the stuff) means less sebum\u2014and fewer pimples, according to Dr. Levine. The RDA for zinc is 8 milligrams.\\n\\n__Good sources__ Raw oysters (76 mg per six oysters), fortified breakfast cereals such as Total (15 mg per 3/4 cup), canned blue crab (5 mg per cup), turkey (4 mg per cup), beef sirloin (4 mg per 3 ounces), pork loin (4 mg per 3 oz), part-skim ricotta (3 mg per cup)\\n\\n__Omega-3 fatty acids__ They help maintain the body's essential oils, the healthy, non-pore-clogging kind that keep skin cells from drying out, flaking and congesting pores, Dr. Levine says. They also have anti-inflammatory properties that aid with healing. \\\"Acne is a teeny little wound on your face,\\\" Kirkpatrick says. There's no RDA for omega-3s; Kirkpatrick suggests aiming for 600 mg daily.\\n\\n__Good sources__ Flaxseed (1,600 mg per 1 tablespoon), canola oil (1,300 mg per 1 tbsp), soybean oil (900 mg per 1 tbsp)\\n\\n+++inset-image-right\\n\\n[#image: /photos/57d8af984b76f0f832a0e986]||||||\\n\\n+++\\n\\n### The Problem: Dry, Dull Skin\\n\\nDowning water, water and more water to rejuvenate flaky, flat-looking skin? Keep it up, but don't stop there. [Drinking adequate liquid](/health/2011/05/harness-health-benefits-of-water) does help ensure every cell in your body is hydrated, but these nutrients are also vital to your freshen-up arsenal.\\n\\n__Omega-3 fatty acids__ \\\"As we get older, our oil glands produce less oil, so you see more flaking and scaling,\\\" Dr. Treloar says. Omega-3s may help lubricate skin to keep it looking dewy. Try to consume 600 mg a day.\\n\\n__Good sources__ Flaxseed (1,600 mg per 1 tbsp), canola oil (1,300 mg per 1 tbsp), soybean oil (900 mg per 1 tbsp)\\n\\n__Niacin__ \\\"When skin cells dry out, their barrier to the environment breaks down,\\\" Dr. Levine says. \\\"Bacteria and other things from the outside can then penetrate more easily and cause an inflammatory reaction.\\\" And that means you can add redness and irritation to your list of complaints. Niacin, a B vitamin, appears to help strengthen the skin's barrier, by both hydrating cells and acting as an anti-inflammatory, Dr. Levine says. The RDA for niacin is 14 mg.\\n\\n__Good sources__ [Chicken](/fooddiet/2011/05/new-chicken-recipes-slideshow) (12 mg per 1/2 breast), canned light tuna (11 mg per 3 oz), wheat flour (9 mg per cup), pork chops (7 mg per 3 oz), beef sirloin (6 mg per 3 oz), cornmeal (4 mg per cup)\\n\\n__Biotin__ This is another B vitamin, and although its mechanisms aren't yet well understood, biotin has been shown to help [hair and nails grow](/beauty/2010/02/five-factors-that-affect-hair-health), and it may also aid skin-cell turnover, which keeps your complexion looking fresh. There's no RDA, but doctors consider 30 micrograms adequate.\\n\\n__Good sources__ Eggs (up to 25 mcg each), avocado (up to 6 mcg each), salmon (up to 5 mcg per 3 oz)\\n\\n### The Problem: Signs of Aging\\n\\nGetting older is fine (wisdom, respect, all that good stuff). Looking older, not so much. Thankfully, we can help [stall the process](/beauty/2011/08/take-5-years-off-your-face-slideshow) by eating [strawberries, pineapple](/fooddiet/2011/08/fruit-for-dinner-slideshow) and other delish foods.\\n\\n__Vitamin A__ Of skin's several layers, the dermis\u2014which lies right below the surface layer of skin (or epidermis)\u2014contains all the collagen, a protein that gives skin plumpness and elasticity. \\\"Vitamin A helps increase collagen production and thickens the dermis,\\\" Dr. Levine explains. The result: Skin looks fuller and bounces back more readily. And because it's an antioxidant, A also helps repair the free radical damage to skin cells that leads to wrinkling and sagging. The DV is 5,000 IUs.\\n\\n__Good sources__ [Sweet potatoes](http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2667/2) (28,000 IUs each); leafy greens such as spinach (23,000 IUs per chopped, cooked cup), kale (19,000 per cooked cup) and broccoli (2,400 IUs per cooked cup); bright red, yellow and orange produce such as carrots (27,000 IUs per cooked cup ), cantaloupe (5,400 IUs per cup), sweet red bell peppers (4,700 IUs per cup) and red chile peppers (428 IUs each); asparagus (600 IUs per four spears)\\n\\n__Vitamin C__ Also an antioxidant, \\\"vitamin C basically helps mop up free radicals before they do any damage,\\\" Dr. Levine says. You'll hit your mark at 75 mg.\\n\\n__Good sources__ Red bell peppers (152 mg each), broccoli (101 mg per cooked cup), strawberries (98 mg per cup), papaya (87 mg per cup), pineapple (74 mg per cup), kiwifruit (70 mg each), cantaloupe (59 mg per cup), cauliflower (46 mg per cup)\\n\\n__Vitamin E__ Speaking (still) of antioxidants, E seems to help skin produce natural oils that aid with aging-related dryness, Dr. Levine says. You need at least 15 mg a day to fulfill your RDA.\\n\\n__Good sources__ Nuts and seeds such as almonds (7 mg per oz) and roasted sunflower seeds (7 mg per oz); vegetable oils such as sunflower (6 mg per tbsp) and safflower (5 mg per tbsp); tomato products such as pasta sauce (6 mg per cup) and pureed tomatoes (5 mg per cup); spinach (4 mg per cooked cup)\\n\\n__Plant polyphenols__ These organic plant chemicals seem to do double dermis duty. For starters, polyphenols in green tea significantly increased circulation to skin in a recent study at the University of Witten-Herdeck. \\\"We don't know the mechanism, but if you're getting more blood flow to the skin, the cells are getting increased nutrients, which can help support their health,\\\" says study author Carolyn Moore, Ph.D. Participants drank the equivalent of 8 cups of decaffeinated green tea a day; Dr. Moore can't speculate on the effect of drinking less, but it couldn't hurt to start with 1 or 2 cups a day. People who drank water mixed with cocoa powder high in flavonols, another type of polyphenol, experienced a similar increase in hydration and blood flow to their skin, as well as less roughness and scaling, a study in *The Journal of Nutrition* shows. What's more, cocoa's flavonols seem to offer some UV ray protection: The skin of cocoa sippers showed less redness after sun exposure.\\n\\n__Good sources__ Green tea, chocolate (a few ounces a day should do the trick)\\n\\n### Do Some Foods Breed Breakouts?\\n\\nThe science is still spotty, but experts are wary of...\\n\\n__Dairy foods__ Milk spikes levels of insulin and growth hormone, both of which open androgen (male hormone) receptors and allow the [hormones](/health/2011/09/hormone-myths-busted-slideshow) to enter, says dermatologist Bill Danby, M.D., of Dartmouth Medical School. And male hormones can plug pores and activate oil glands, resulting in acne, he explains. Although not all skin pros embrace Dr. Danby's dairy theory, it's gaining ground, according to Dr. Treloar. She suggests that acne sufferers drop cow dairy (get vitamin D, calcium and magnesium from other sources), then experiment with noncow and fermented dairy foods.\\n\\n__A high-glycemic-index diet__ Like dairy items, high-GI foods such as refined carbs (e.g., white bread) and sweets (including chocolate) can raise insulin levels and open androgen receptors, so most experts say it's smart to steer clear when you can."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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