Fed up of bad skin days? Maybe it's time to ditch dairy

Celebrity skin expert and author of 'Eat Beautiful' Wendy Rowe explains that your skin won't look good unless you pay attention to your health and your diet in particular. She counts 'Anatomy of a scandal' star Sienna Miller among her clients and points out that you need to maintain the right balance to look and feel good...

How does dairy affect our skin?

Rowe tells us to forget the expensive creams and treatments, and focus on getting the right nutrition for our skin and body. Limiting dairy products can be a good start as dairy contains substances that are related to the hormone testosterone and this can stimulate sebum production - hello pimples! Dairy is full of hormones because milk usually comes from cows that are pregnant or have just given birth as these cows produce more milk.

Milk then contains a dose of bovine oestrogen and progesterone which your body absorbs, and this can disrupt your hormone balance. In addition, dairy consumption stimulates the release of insulin and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) which is the hormone that often causes acne, because it stimulates sebum production.

IGF-1 also stimulates the production of androgens - that's male sex hormones such as testosterone and DHT - which can also cause acne by stimulating your sebum production. These hormones also stimulate the growth of skin cells and cause clogged capillaries. Dead skin cells then accumulate in the capillaries, bacteria join in and that is how those nasty pimples arise.

Eliminate it for 30 days...

Want to get rid of your acne without having to take medication? Try eliminating milk, cheese and other dairy products from your diet for 30 days. There are plenty of good vegan cheese alternatives on the market now and many are made from nuts. Why not try Violife, Sheese or Nush vegan cheeses? They have all come top in BBC Good Food taste tests.

Ditching dairy, at least temporarily, is one of the simplest ways to get rid of acne and it's also something to consider if you suffer from other skin conditions like rosacea or psoriasis. Drinking plenty of water and avoiding refined sugar is key too.

Skin expert Wendy Rowe says her skin looks so much better after exercising as getting your heart rate up and breaking a sweat helps eliminate those nasty toxins. So put down that hunk of cheddar or bar of milk chocolate and go for a brisk walk and have a glass of water instead - your skin will thank you for it!