Face Facts - is your skin telling you something?

The weather, pollution, menopause, lots of factors all can take a toll on your skin, here are a few pointers to help you take care of yours!

Your Skin is one of the largest organs in your body, is yours trying to tell you something?

 Everyone has those days, the ones when you look in the mirror and just don't love what you see. Maybe you've got breakouts reminiscent of school, your chronic dryness keeps flaring up, or your under eyes are determined to tell the world you didn't rest enough. Whatever your skin issue is, there are ways to fix it that go beyond dermatologist appointments and moisturizer applications.

In fact, revamping your skin can be easier than all that. Sometimes all you have to do to say goodbye to your skin hang-ups is make simple dietary changes.

1: Fine Lines & Wrinkles

This may signify your diet is: Too high in alcohol and sugar

When wrinkles strike, keep your drinks cabinet shut tight. That homemade cocktail you enjoyed with dinner or the glass of wine you sipped before bed could be to blame for your wrinkled skin. As a natural diuretic, alcohol makes you more dehydrated the more you drink, sucking away at your skin's natural moisture. This can actually deepen the lines on your face and make them stand out.

2: Breakouts

This may signify your diet is: Too high in high-glycemic foods

Battling breakouts? Blame your diet. If loaves of white bread are one of your grocery list staples, it's no wonder your skin hasn't cleared up. The high-glycemic index of your morning bagel and midday sandwich impact levels of blood sugar and insulin, so switch to whole grains instead.

3: Dark Circles

This may signify your diet is: Missing sufficient water intake

The key to blasting those under-eye bags isn't just a long night's rest. The dark circles you're dealing with may have more to do with water retention, which means you haven't been drinking enough H2O. Don't forget that the state of your skin doesn't just have to do with the food you're swallowing, but the beverages you're chugging as well. Be sure to drink at least the recommended 2 litres and hydrate those pesky purple hues away.

4: Dry Skin

This may signify your diet is: Too high in sodium

As if you needed another reason to cut back on your sodium intake, it could be the culprit that's drying out your skin. When there's too much salt in your diet, your body overcompensates for this by holding onto water, which doesn't just lead to puffy cheeks, but cracked, dehydrated skin. Even if the dryness you suffer from is year-round.

5: Oily Skin

This may signify your diet is: Too high in dairy

If your oil has gone into overdrive and you find yourself dealing with daily dampness, you might be drinking too much dairy. According to research, boys drinking lots of milk were more likely to suffer from acne than those who weren't. The same results were found in girls in a different study for milk in general. Although this won't work for everyone, if oily skin is an issue limiting dairy intake and assessing if it leads to an improvement in your skin condition be beneficial.

6: Eczema

This may signify your diet is: Too high in animal protein

What's red, rough, and itchy all over? A patch of eczema, but don't let this skin condition linger around for long. Kick it to the curb with a couple diet hacks. First, let's clear up a common misconception: you might have heard that cutting sugar-heavy foods is key to eczema relief, but while you should limit your intake of the sweet stuff for other reasons, a recent study found that sugar didn't aggravate eczema after all. So if you're going to cut back on sugar, do it to lower your risk of diabetes and obesity, not to save your skin.

It might be a better idea to see what happens when you give vegetarianism a try. Many find that their eczema clears up when they give up meat, Give it a go.