DR. WALLACE: I'm 13 and have a clear complexion. I also drink a lot of diet sodas - at least three a day. My grandmother says that pretty soon I'm going to get acne from drinking sodas. She says the breakout could come at any time. Is this true? Would I get pimples if I only drink one or two sodas a day? — Ginger, Lake Charles, La.

GINGER: Soft drinks provide empty calories and little else, so you should keep your intake to a maximum of one soda per day. Three sodas a week would be better.

Skin specialists agree that food and drink intake will not cause pimples or acne, but a few do caution that once acne has occurred, certain foods and drinks will make the outbreak a little more severe. Most experts, however, maintain that food and drink never affect the condition of the skin.

LEAVE YOUR STEPSISTER'S BOYFRIEND ALONE

DR. WALLACE: My stepsister is 17 and dating a guy who is 19. Whenever he comes over to our house, he smiles at me and is real friendly. Deep down I really think he has this thing for me and I sort of have a thing for him. To tell the honest truth, I'm better looking and have a shape much superior to my stepsister's and it wouldn't take much to take this guy away from her. I'm 18 and closer to his age.

Would it be considered criminal if I aced my stepsister out of the picture? We live in the same house, but we are not close. In fact, we are not even friends. — Stepsister, Vicksburg, Miss.

STEPSISTER: It may not be criminal, but it would be mean-spirited and tacky. It sounds to me as though you are less interested in the guy than in your power to one-up your stepsister and demonstrate your superiority. Don't do it. Leave her boyfriend alone!

Even though you and your stepsister are not close, you live together under the same roof and, whether you realize it or not, you need to practice mutual respect. If you decided to start a civil war, you could tear the whole family apart. There are plenty of available guys in the beautiful city of Vicksburg. With your looks and charm, I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding one, or two, or three.

GUYS PAY A SMALL PRICE FOR YOUR COMPANY

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and have been dating for about seven months. My parents insist that all the guys I date meet them before we go out. I can understand my parents' wanting to meet the guy I'm dating, but after they have met them, why do they want to see them the second time? Many times my dates get upset because they think it's stupid to see my parents and hear the same old questions for the umpteenth time. What gives? — Kelly, Toledo, Ohio.

KELLY: Be happy that your parents care about you and want to be involved in your life. Having to meet your parents every time they take you out is a small price for your dates to pay for the opportunity to spend time with you.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.