Is your skin diet a sham?

here are certain things we’ve all heard, repeated and quietly accepted as the truth. You won’t feel the benefit if you leave your coat on inside... a sliver of Stilton at bedtime will fill your sleep with scaries... and dairy is kryptonite for your skin. While we’ll save your outerwear habits and nightmares for another day, the latter claim has been the subject of an intervention by a body with skin in the game. After two studies that investigated the validity of private food allergy tests were presented at the AGM of the British Association of Dermatologists last September, the organisation issued a warning that such tests may be influencing people to follow unnecessary – and potentially dangerous – dietary restrictions in their quest for healthier skin. In one study, only one of the 18 brands of online allergy tests evaluated were found to use an accredited laboratory, meaning users of the other 17 could be cutting foods out of their diets based on false information. Even if you haven’t bought into this trend, you still might