Diet in dermatology

 Generally, we, the doctors practicing  modern biomedicine or evidence based medicine, do not ask for too many dietary restrictions unlike other complementary medical practitioners, except in a few specific cases.

Dietary restrictions Generally make people restricted in their lives because they are unable to eat certain fruits or commonly used food items like curd, and the dietary restrictions remind them of the diseases that they are suffering from each moment.  This can cause a huge psychological impact on them in addition to depriving them of some most important nutrients.

In dermatology where I find the most common myth being carried forward is avoidance of milk, curd or anything that's looking white among vitiligo patients. This deprives them of very important source of proteins from milk as well as probiotic action of curds. Moreover they are asked to avoid all citrus fruits which are rich on vit C.
I would like to stress on all vitiligo patients that they are free to eat whatever they want in moderation.
There is another common disease called psoriasis where we generally do ask our patients to restrict their salt , sugar and oil intake to prevent metabolic syndrome.  As there is sufficient evidence that psoriasis being an inflammatory disease, the patients are prone to develop metabolic syndrome that comprises of hypertension, diabetes, lipid profile abnormalities, cardiac diseases and their complications.

The young patients with acne are required to have a high fibre, low sugar, low dairy diet with a lot of exercise.

In rosacea, where the central part of the face becomes reddish and shows some acne like lesions we ask patients to avoid hot, spicy food and beverages in addition to avoidance of sun exposure.

In dermatology There are certain dos and don't for a few specific disorders. But overall speaking,  patients must realise that they should eat a low calorie balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and they must exercise regularly.

For more queries regarding I request you all to visit your nearest dermatologist rather than following fad diets and self medication.

Hope what I said helped you to some extent.  You take care and stay safe.