I recently received a phone call from a young woman from Alabama requesting help regarding a problem with her skin that she had for many years; one that she said just didn't seem to want to go away even with all the 'remedies' she tried that were over the counter. In fact, she told me, it just seemed to make the appearance of her skin worse.

Creams, toners, peels....nothing seemed to work for her. Could I help, she asked. "I've never been to a dermatologist and when I asked my family doctor about it, he said it seemed to be a rash."

She sent me a phone picture and asked if there was something I could recommend. Seeing her in person and discussing her lifestyle and habits definitely gave me a good idea of where to begin in her treatment. Contrary to many persons beliefs, DIET DOES play an important part in skin health.

For example, many studies show that some foods make your blood sugar quickly soar. This in turn triggers your body to make a burst of the hormone insulin to help your cells absorb the sugar. The trick is to keep your blood sugar steady. Although there are studies that show there may not be this direct link, I see many patients who benefit greatly just by making this small change.

Another change that will bring you to clearer and more healthy skin is to decrease animal products and increase the amount of veggies. This is a powerful way to 'feed' your skin from the inside out with antioxidants. Choose veggies across a range of deep and bright colors. These will provide a variety of antioxidants that dampen free-radical damage and inflammation.

I also advised a visit to a dermatologist, which she promised to do, and I asked her to check in with me via email to let me know about her progress.

Three months passed and yesterday I received her email:

"I cannot believe the change in my skin! Although I am not a vegetarian...yet...I am ecstatic with the smoothness and color of my cheeks and chin. I eat veggies for dinner and fruit and yogurt for lunch. Occasionally I will have a great piece of salmon.  For the first time in a long time I actually go without makeup!"

Although for most people food is only about 25% of the cause of a breakout, and the other 75% is influenced by hormones, stress, sleep, and environmental factors, it certainly was a solution for her.