My high school-aged daughter has begun having skin breakouts and blemishes. Any suggestions on vitamins she could take to help her skin?

My teenage patients do very well on a regimen that includes supplements of zinc and vitamin A, but they also have to kick sugar to see any real improvement. I keep hearing and reading all the time that sugar and chocolate have no effect on adolescent skin problems. But from what I've seen in my practice, I can say that this is hogwash. If you can persuade your daughter to try giving up, or at least cutting down, sugar, I think you will see an improvement in her complexion for yourself.

I treat my patient with a high dose of fish oil vitamin A--50,000 international units (five times the RDA for vitamin A)--and 30 mg of zinc a day for three months. When mixed with a good multi- vitamin/mineral supplement and extra vitamin C (about 1000 mg three times per day to help the formation of new collagen), I saw considerable complexion improvements. (You must avoid that much A if pregnant. And always talk to your doctor about starting a supplement regimen.)

Another idea (your daughter will love this one, LOL): Alternate nights rubbing vitamin E oil and vitamin A oil on the face. (Get an old pillowcase that you don't care about.) The oils nourish the skin as well as lower the skin's need to make its own oils. You can buy the oils in bottles or get capsules and then puncture them. Don't use creams! It has to be the actual oil. The vitamin A nights are a bit tougher: it has a somewhat fishy scent…don't forget to wash the oil off in the morning!

Identify "allergic" foods (i.e. anything your daughter craves), and have her stop eating them for seven full days, unless it's milk (then it's 21!). The more the food is craved, and the harder it is to give up, the better the chance that it's involved as part of the solution.

Teenagers are old enough to keep a food diary, and look for symptoms (besides, they'll do most anything to fix a skin problem). Once teens find a connection to better skin, I have often seen that result in a better diet for the whole family!

The peroxide-soaked pads for skin cleaning are not bad at all…not usually enough to correct the problem on their own, but a decent start.

Also, beware of long or repeated courses of antibiotics. If that has occurred, read the book The Yeast Connection, by Wm. Crook, MD, and watch for possible future signs of what the author talks about in yourself, too.

Skin is a tough subject, but years of antibiotics are not usually required, if a tough nutritional approach is used.

Good health,
A.N. Spreen, M.D.