But I want to get to the root cause of these skin issues. Because of my scalp condition, the skin around my hairline is always a bit rough, bumpy, red, and/or irritated at any given point. Cute, right? For most of 2014 I gave up gluten, which didn’t work. Maybe it was time to try something new, I thought. Should I eat more fat? I never ate dairy regularly, but I do enjoy a great cheese plate, and ice cream is one of my all-time favorite things to eat. One of my co-workers, our deputy editor Elle, always has amazing skin and her hair is the kind that has consistent character, which must start with a healthy scalp. She consumed full-fat dairy on the reg, without blinking an eye. She’s a bit of a foodie and sung its praises, as I was trying to keep it to a minimum. I do think that dairy is an inflammatory food, but I’ve also been reading a good deal of the virtues of healthy, well-sourced fats. So I took a page from her book and started having dairy for breakfast, either a cup of 4 percent fat vanilla Siggi’s or White Moustache in Greek or Kiss flavors. I started looking forward to it, and at first my body responded well. I think it helped cut the caffeine from my coffee and kept my blood sugar steady—so I added a second serving almost daily. I originally committed to cutting dairy for two weeks to see what happened, but those two weeks quickly extended to three, and then a month. After the first week, I limited my caffeine intake to one cup per day (with the exception of one weekend day) and noticed a huge difference, too. Here’s what happened: Would I recommend cutting dairy if you’re having skin issues? Sure, but I personally wouldn’t pass on an epic cheese plate every now and then. That’s just me (I’m only mildly lactose intolerant, but it builds with quantity consumed as I’ve noticed by trial). If you do, make sure you find a good healthy fat to replace it. I also think cutting down on caffeine helped me threefold: First, I was drinking more water, and second, I was drinking less caffeine, and third, I was getting better sleep. Starting there might be a better bet. Happy experimenting! If you’re looking to bring a little detox to your day, try cleansing your lymph. Hormonal breakouts got you down? Here’s how to sync your hormones with your beauty routine.
