You might have thought you’d left breakouts behind with teenage angst. Then suddenly your skin starts to erupt again. Falling oestrogen levels, which mean that testosterone can be more dominant, are to blame. Stress can also be a trigger. You may notice that your spots cluster around the lower part of your face. They may appear as angry red lumps, rather than ‘pop-able’ pimples and since adult pimples are darker than teen pimples the ensuing discolouration can last a few weeks. Prescription drugs should be your last resort as they won’t help address the real cause of the problem. Try to identify the trigger factors. If it’s stress aim for eight hours sleep a night and take time out each day for meditation, yoga or other forms of relaxation.

The following natural remedies may help keep the blemishes under control:

• It’s especially important that you include plenty of phytoestrogens in your diet, found in soya, nuts and legumes. Phytoestrogens can help your body control the amount of testosterone circulating in your blood. Vitamin B6, zinc and essential fatty acids have also been shown to be beneficial.
• If you notice any dietary triggers for acne, avoid those foods. You should also watch your intake of alcohol, sugar, processed food, salt, butter, caffeine, chocolate, fried foods, meat, margarine, wheat, soft drinks and food containing hydrogenated vegetables oils.
• To ease inflammation or prevent infection, eat lots of garlic. Garlic is a powerful antibiotic. Grate it on your food or take it as a supplement every day. (See Aged Garlic on the Resources Page)
• Sulphur-rich foods, such as eggs, onions and live yogurt with bifidus and acidophilus bacteria, help to rebalance the bacteria in your gut and can help protect against skin inflammation. You could also take a probiotic (e.g. BioKult), I would not recommend the probiotic drinks as they are often loaded with sugar. 
• Regular exercise is helpful because it encourages hormonal balance and healthy blood flow to your face to help flush out toxins.
• Heavy cosmetics and rich moisturisers can clog your pores so use a lighter lotion on your trouble zones. Avoid abrasive scrubs. They do not remove dead skin, but they can cause infection and make acne worse. Never pick or squeeze spots – this can cause scarring.
• Tea-tree oil has good antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Use it to dab onto your spots. A study conducted by the Department of Dermatology of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in New South Wales, Australia, found a 5 per cent solution of tea tree oil was as effective as a 5 per cent solution of benzoyl peroxide for most cases of acne, and had no side effects.
• Pure aloe vera gel is antibacterial and soothing. Some women find that dabbing it on their acne every day really helps. For angry inflamed spots or acne, witch hazel is cooling and soothing. Dab directly on the acne. Echinacea is one of nature’s most powerful antibiotics. Dab a tincture or cream on the affected skin daily.
• If your doctor tells you that you have higher than normal androgen (male hormone) levels, the herb saw palmetto can work as an anti-androgen and this can also be helpful for pre-menstrual acne. Perhaps the most helpful herb though is Agnus Castus. Other beneficial herbs include burdock root, red clover and milk thistle which are powerful blood cleansers.
• Light therapy, which involves shining different types of light on the acne, from UV to simply coloured light can help. Red lights have been shown to open capillaries and boost circulation while blue light closes them. Ask a dermatologist for advice.

Q: My hair and nails are dry and brittle and snap easily. My skin also looks dull and creased. Are there any foods I can eat to make me look healthier and younger?

A: You don’t mention your age in your letter but, whatever age you are, the condition of your hair and nails is a good indication of your health in general. So it seems to me that your diet, life style and stress levels could do with some attention.

 

First of all I want to advise you to visit your doctor to make sure you are not suffering from an underlying hormone imbalance, such as thyroid disorder or polycystic ovary syndrome, which can result in dry skin and hair. In the interim, boost your intake of fatty acids, found in oily fish, nuts, seeds and legumes, as they play an important part in keeping your hair and nails strong. Snacking on nuts and seeds will also boost levels of fatty acids, as well as zinc and protein – also important for healthy hair and skin. Keep your iron levels up by eating plenty of dark green leafy vegetables and pulses and dried fruit. And as brittle nails can be a sign of vitamin A or calcium deficiency be sure to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

 

As far as your skin is concerned, eating the following food regularly will arm your skin cells with the necessary tools to help preserve and keep your skin looking young: 

 

• Water (Boosts moisture): Dehydrated skin looks ashen and grey and hangs off the face. Water is the best dull-skin reviver. Hydrated skin looks moist and plump, which makes existing wrinkles less obvious. To see results, you need to make sure you are drinking enough each day – around six to eight glasses – more if you work out.
• Ripe Tomato (Keeps skin elastic): This skin-sensational food packs high levels of the antioxidant vitamins A and C as well as skin cancer-fighting chemicals. Antioxidants help keep skin firm by protecting the skin’s collagen and elastic tissue from oxidants or “free radicals” (unstable oxygen molecules) that attack it. 
• Berries (Fight wrinkles): Berries are a great source of polyphenols, antioxidants that are currently being studied for their anti-aging capabilities. Recent studies revealed that blueberries are packed with three times the antioxidants compared to an orange. A hefty handful of berries have all the antioxidant vitamin C your body requires each day to reconstruct your collagen, the scaffolding that keeps skin from drooping.
• Sardines (Calm inflammation): This fatty fish is teeming with face-friendly omega-3 fatty acids, which do everything from attack arid areas to help deflate inflamed spots. Also found in mackerel, salmon etc, Omega 3 essential fatty acids battle collagen-damaging free radicals and help smooth out fine lines. I would recommend eating fish three times a week. If you can’t eat seafood, a fish-oil supplement can offer the same benefits (see Omega 3 Plus on the Resources Page). Or try adding flaxseed oil or nuts to your diet. Fatty fish and nuts also contain zinc, which helps quell acne flare-ups and increase cell growth
• Dark-green, leafy vegetables (Anti-ageing): Foods such as cabbage and kale are full of anti ageing antioxidants. Plus, they’re a great source of iron when eaten with vitamin C rich foods. (Women who don’t get enough iron are especially prone to dark circles under their eyes.) Greens also contain zinc.

Finally, I strongly advise you to take a daily multivitamin and mineral every day as an insurance policy against nutrient deficiencies which can be ageing and cause out-of-condition hair and nails. A vitamin B supplement may also be helpful.

Known as the nectar of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, from whom aphrodisiacs got their name, honey is about as sensual as aphrodisiacs get. Honey is also mentioned in the Karma Sutra and the Arabian love manual The Perfumed Garden where it is recommended that a glassful of thick honey or honey mixed with spices be drunk by a man to make him more attractive and to give him the energy and endurance for sex. Nutritionally, honey is rich in energy boosting carbohydrates, which will help give you more stamina for love making and vitamins, minerals and amino acids and antioxidants which can help fight the damaging effects of free radicals. Plus, ever since Cleopatra started the trend, it’s been used as a skin softener to enhance beauty and is still used as an ingredient in moisturizers today. Steer clear of heavily sweetened and processed honey though and go for organic, instead bearing in mind that generally the darker and clearer the honey the richer it is in health and libido boosting antioxidants.