Medical Questions » Diet Questions » Question No. 267
| Question: | I have dry skin. Could it be caused by my diet? |
| Answer: | The dryness of your skin is determined by the amount of oil produced by the sebaceous glands in the skin. People with dry skin either have fewer oil glands than other people, or their glands produce less oil. In the vast majority of cases, the tendency towards dry skin (or oily skin) is an inherited characteristic, and there is therefore nothing that you can do about it except use moisturising creams.
In a small number of people, and if the skin dryness is a new phenomenon, there may be a skin disease present or some other internal problem (such as an underactive thyroid gland), and a doctor' s opinion should be sought. Some people find that the oiliness of their skin changes at puberty, but this is a natural phenomenon.
The only connection between dry skin and diet could occur if you are lacking in vitamin A. This would be very rare in our well-fed society, as this vitamin is found in all fruit and vegetables, particularly those with an orange colour (eg. carrots, pumpkins, mangoes). On the other hand, taking excess vitamin A in the form of pills or large amounts of orange coloured food, can cause skin staining and other damage (eg. brain damage to the foetus in a pregnant woman).
I suspect that you will merely have to blame your parents for your dry skin, and use moisturising creams on a regular basis.
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