One of the big selling points for some brands of cosmetics is they are made entirely from natural ingredients. Similarly, many different types of food are promoted as organic and natural. The assumption seems to be that being "natural" is always good for you. Indeed, all the healthy lifestyle hype pushes the idea you will always benefit if you lead a life based on traditional values. It was always better way back when we were kids. If we can only recapture some of that innocence, there will be some magic to make us better people. Although there's nothing wrong with this in principle, the fine print of what goes into many of these natural products does raise questions. Nevertheless, you will see a small mountain of acne ads selling natural products. So does a "natural" or "healthier" lifestyle mean you will have fewer pimples?

Perhaps it's appropriate to be asking this just after New Year. You remember that time when you suddenly resolved to eat less, exercise more and de-stress. Well, now a few weeks have passed, how are you getting on? Not so good, huh? Well, here's something to help you feel less guilty. While there's no doubt eating a healthy and nutritious diet is good for your body, there's no scientific evidence to link food to acne. Yes, everyone always talks about fried foods as if the oil and grease somehow gets into your skin, and then there's chocolate. But apart from helping you to add more pounds to your waistlines, there's nothing to suggest they change the balance of hormones in your body. Changing your diet will have no obvious effect on your acne. The only benefit is that you'll feel good. Healthy diets lift your mood and improve your overall health.

It's exactly the same with exercise. Whether you sit quietly or sweat pints of liquid in vigorous exercise, it's all the same. You'll feel better in yourself, but it does not affect your skin. As an aside, there's a study showing people with acne tend to hide themselves away and so exercise less. This is unhealthy and you should try to resist the temptation to get sad or lapse into depression. The only thing to remember is to shower thoroughly after exercise. It clears the skin and helps prevent the build-up of bacteria on the skin.

As to stress, there's evidence people working up to tests or exams at school or college do have more acne. It's the same for adults who go through stressful times. The reason is that stress does affect the production of hormones. So facing life's problems and being more calm is good for your skin. Should this fail to produce obvious results, you should work your way through the well-advertised remedies. If they fail, you can come to Accutane. In men, this is safe and usually effective in the first round of treatment. For women, there are real risks if you can become pregnant. There's a high probability of birth defects so you should always take positive measures to prevent conceptions. Accutane is good but women should not make birth defects in their babies the price of clear skin.