The Wrinkle Cure: Unlock the Power of Cosmeceuticals for Supple, Youthful Skin.

Uncovering a Wrinkle Cure

* The fountain of youth may have been found. According to Nicholas Perricone, MD, the ultimate wrinkle weapon is a mixture of antioxidants and cosmeceuticals. In his book, The Wrinkle Cure: Unlock the Power of Cosmeceuticals for Supple, Youthful Skin, Dr. Perricone suggests a triple-knock-out treatment to improve wrinkles--a diet (low in sugar, highly nutritive), vitamin supplements and a topical solution regime--to take years off of the appearance. Dr. Perricone is an assistant clinical professor of dermatology, Yale University of Medicine.

The most widely accepted theory of skin aging is that of free radical damage. Free radicals, according to Dr. Perricone, are unstable oxygen molecules that have lost an electron through interactions with other molecules and cause cellular damage by stealing electrons from other cells to stabilize themselves. Dr. Perricone insists this causes harmful swelling below the skin surface. Collagen is particularly susceptible to free radical damage since it stays in the skin for many years.

Free radicals caused by sun exposure, cigarette smoke, pollution, poor diet, stress, harsh soaps and sleep deprivation contribute to the loss of firmness and the reduced ability of skin to repair damage. The most powerful substances to combat this damage, depending on the skin's affliction, are vitamin C ester (to improve fine lines, sagging or sunburned skin); alpha lipoic acid (lines, wrinkles, under-eye bags, enlarged pores, acne scars or dull skin); dimethylaminoethanol (loss of firmness, fine lines around lips, overtired skin and thin lips) and alpha and beta hydroxy acids (razor bumps, rough, dry and finely lined skin, uneven pigmentation). In addition, spin traps, chemicals that trap and hold free radicals; telomerase, an enzyme discovered in cancer research and tocotrienol, a powerful vitamin E derivative, are three more recently discovered free radical scavengers. The book is published by Rodale, Inc. and is distributed to the book trade by St. Martin's Press.