Experts say the right diet may be the key to treating skin disorders.

Up to 90 per cent of Australians - or 18 million people - will suffer from skin ailments at some time in their lives, including acne, eczema, skin cancer and psoriasis , according to figures from the Australasian College of Dermatologists. Almost one-quarter of children have eczema, compared with about 10 per cent a decade ago and about 85 per cent will have acne. Although most acne clears after adolescence, up to 20 per cent of adults may continue to be affected.

It is no surprise, then, that the medicated skin care market is experiencing unprecedented growth, but some practitioners believe what we put inside our bodies is more important than smearing our skin with expensive treatments. Nutritionist and author Patrick Holford says: "Your skin is affected by how well you are internally and is therefore a remarkable barometer of your overall health. Getting your body's systems working optimally is crucial to addressing skin problems. Diet is key - eating foods that nourish your body while limiting those that contribute no nutritional value is important."

Many skin conditions are thought to be a reflection of hormone imbalances and the inability to absorb nutrients and eliminate the byproducts of digestion. Helen Sher, founder of the natural skin care company Sher, says: "The majority of our clients have been on courses of antibiotics to banish spots and rosacea, but this is not a long-term solution." She points out that antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as bad, which can damage the digestive and immune systems.

In the case of rosacea (an inflammatory condition that affects 45 million people worldwide, in which the face becomes flushed and itchy), there is evidence that many sufferers produce insufficient stomach acid and the resultant incomplete digestion of food is the main factor.

If skin disorders are the body's way of expressing its imbalances, then treating a skin problem using topical creams and gels is the equivalent of applying a hot flannel to the tip of an iceberg. Robin Logan, author of The Homoeopathic Treatment Of Eczema, explains why it is important to view the body as a whole: "Suppressing eruptions [topically] can lead to the development of more serious internal complaints. This is typically seen in the eczema/asthma syndrome."

According to Michael Franklin, founder of Britain's Allergy and Nutrition Centre, food allergies play a considerable part in many skin complaints. "Psoriasis is usually extremely difficult to treat, yet if more patients and practitioners knew of the links with bowel toxicity, there would be fewer problems. Liver detoxification is an important part of treatment. With rosacea, a lack of B vitamins may play a role."

Not everyone subscribes to the idea of treating your biggest organ from the inside out. Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists, says: "In general, diet has little influence on skin, though there are a few exceptions. Alcohol and spicy foods seem to make rosacea worse.

"As for acne, there is some evidence that foods with a high glycaemic index [which measures the effects of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels] may worsen the condition in some people."

What to avoid

Dr Jonathan Wilkin, of Britain's National Rosacea Society, says foods that might trigger flare-ups include liver, yoghurt, cheese (except cottage cheese), chocolate, vanilla, vinegar, spicy foods, coffee or tea.

The most documented reactive foods for eczema sufferers are milk, eggs, peanuts, soybeans, wheat, seafood and seeded fruits. Nutritionist Patrick Holford suggests that with skin complaints you should limit your intake of sugary foods, refined carbohydrates (such as white bread) and anything fried.

What to eat

The skin is the last place nutrients will arrive after they have serviced the rest of your body so it is vital to get enough of the things we know help the skin to heal and regenerate.

Proper hydration is vital to a healthy system. Helen Sher recommends drinking six or seven glasses of water daily. Vitamins C and E are important for skin health - mainly as antioxidants - so include organic fruits and vegetables in your diet, especially black grapes and blueberries. Apricots, oranges, peppers, carrots, strawberries and broccoli are rich in the carotenoid pigments, which your body converts to vitamin A.

Nutritionist and author Michael van Straten says: "Carrot juice is bursting with beta carotene; one glass a day, fresh if possible, works wonders for the skin and is a powerful antioxidant."

The naturopathic nutritionist Charlotte Fraser suggests increasing your intake of essential fatty acids to help treat dry skin conditions and acne. Eczema and psoriasis sufferers will benefit from the anti-inflammatory effect of omega 3 found in oily fish.

Evening primrose oil is a source of gamma linoleic acid, which promotes healthy skin, hair and nails.

The most important B vitamin for the skin is biotin, which is found in bananas, eggs and rice. Zinc deficiency can be a factor in psoriasis and acne. Good sources of zinc are sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

專家們說正確的飲食有望是治療皮膚病癥的關鍵。

根據澳大利亞大學皮膚病學者的數字統計：在澳大利亞，90%的人(1千800萬)在他們的生活中都會碰到一些皮膚問題。包含痤瘡，濕疹，皮膚癌和牛皮癬。和前十年相比，現在近1/4的兒童患有濕疹(十年前只有10%)，近85%患有痤瘡。大多數痤瘡在青春期過會都會消失，然而仍會有20%的成年會一直受到感染。

藥物性皮膚護理市場正空前地增長也不足為奇了，但一些從業者相信，和花大量護理涂在皮膚上的東西相比，我們吃進去的東西更為重要。營養師兼作者帕特里克霍福物說：你吃的東西的好壞影響著你的皮膚，因此皮膚也是你健康的“晴雨表”。讓你的身體系統更好地工作對解決皮膚問題至關重要。飲食是關鍵---吃對你的身體健康有利的食物，控制攝入沒營養價值的食物這一點很重要。

荷爾蒙分泌不平衡，營養物質無法吸收和消化的副作用都認為和許多皮膚問題有關。自然皮膚護理公司的創始人海倫說：我們的大多數客戶都使用抗生素來除斑和紅斑痤瘡，但這并不是一個長期可行的辦法。她指出這些抗生素類的藥殺掉有害細菌的同時也會殺掉有益菌體，這樣就會破壞消化和免疫系統。

紅斑痤瘡這一例(世界范圍內有4千5百萬人感染這一種紅腫的癥狀，它會使臉發燙，發癢)有證據表明胃酸不足繼而引發的食物消化不完全是主要因素。

如果皮膚疾病是身體表明其失調的一個方式，那么僅片面地使用局部性的藥膏無異于隔靴搔癢。<濕疹順勢療法>的作者羅賓羅根解釋了把身體看作一個整體的重要性：抑制出疹(局部性)會導致更為嚴重的內部問題。最典型的就是濕疹/哮喘綜合癥.

英國過敏癥與營養中心的創始人富蘭克林說，食物過敏在許多的皮膚病癥中扮演著一個重要角色。“通常來說，牛皮癬是很難治療的。要是許多病人和從業都能知道這一病癥與腸毒有關，也許問題就少一些了。利用肝臟解毒是治療的關鍵。至于紅斑痤瘡，主要則是維生素B缺乏所致。”

僅一部分人同意徹底治愈需從內部著手。英國皮膚專家協會的里娜高德說：“大體來說，飲食對我們的皮膚并沒有多大的影響。但也有一些特例。像酒精和辛辣食物就會使紅斑痤瘡惡化；關于痤瘡,有證據說明,含高血糖指數(即衡量碳水化合物對血液中葡萄糧含量作用的物質)的食物會加重此癥狀.”

我們不應該吃什么

英國國家紅斑痤瘡學社的強納森博士說，諸如肝臟，酸奶，起司(脫酯起司除外)，巧克力，香草，醋，辛辣食物，咖啡和茶都有可能惡化病癥。

記載最多的治療濕疹的食物包括牛奶，雞蛋，堅果，黃豆，麥皮，海產和有籽水果。營養學家帕特里克建議我們應該控制攝入糖類食物，精煉碳水化合物(像精面面包)和油炸類食品。

我們應該吃什么

皮膚是營養物質的最后一站。因此我們有必要了解足夠的信息來使皮膚重新煥發光彩。

適當的水分攝入對于健康系統很是重要。海倫推薦每天飲用6-7杯水。維C和維E作為抗氧化劑都對皮膚健康很重要。因此多吃有機水果和蔬菜特別是紅葡萄和藍莓很好。杏，橙，辣椒，胡蘿卜，草莓和花棷菜富含類胡蘿卜素，它能在體內轉化是維A。

營養學家兼作者麥可說：胡蘿卜汁含有很多BETA胡蘿卜素，每天一杯，新鮮的更好，它富含抗氧化物質，對營養肌膚很有效。
自然療法營養學家卡洛特建議每天適當增加脂肪酸的攝入對于皮膚干燥和痤瘡的治療很有效用。濕疹和牛皮癬則應該多攝入OMEGA-3這種存在于魚油中的元素。

夜來香油是GAMMA亞油酸的主要來源，它對皮膚，頭發和指甲都有好處。

對皮膚最為重要的B族維他命要數生物素了，它在在于香蕉，雞蛋和大米里。缺鋅是引發牛皮癬和痤瘡的一個因素。富含鋅的食物有芝麻，葵花籽和南瓜籽