A report in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemistry states that cigarette smoke, whether you are a smoker yourself or someone who is regularly exposed to "side-stream" smoke, is bad for your skin. Other factors over which women have some control are diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and drug use. Simple things, such as drinking eight glasses of water each day and eating sufficient servings of fruits and vegetables throughout your life can help to keep your skin healthy.

New Hope for Aging Skin
One of the newest bodies of information regarding skin care that addresses all of these factors has been produced by Nicholas Perricone, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine. After 20 years of research, he does not agree that skin must deteriorate due to age. He maintains that aging skin is a disease that we can do something about. He recommends a wide range of strategies from an insulin-balancing diet to oral supplements and topical antioxidants. His research, which utilizes all-natural formulas, is endorsed by a variety of experts including Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom."

Dr. Perricone's Wrinkle Cure
Using nutrient antioxidants topically to impede and even repair cellular damage to skin cells, Dr. Nicholas Perricone's program is based on healthy living habits, especially a diet high in nutrition-packed, antioxidant-rich foods, and includes the use of the following products for smooth, healthy skin.

• Vitamin C esters: According to Dr. Perricone, when Vitamin C is combined with palm oil it forms an ester that can penetrate the skin (something other cosmeceuticals have had difficulty in doing) and the thin membrane of cells that help to produce collagen and elastin. This action helps to reduce fine lines and to firm mildly sagging skin, says Dr. Perricone.
• Alpha lipoic acid: Called a universal antioxidant by many doctors, this acid boosts the ability of other antioxidants. It can increase cell metabolism that slows with age. It can even activate a process to remove damaged collagen. This activity reduces inflammation, and fades wrinkles and scars.
• DMAE: an acronym for the nutrient dimethylaminoethanol — This antioxidant is found in abundance in fish. When it is mixed with nutrients and other antioxidants, then applied to the skin, it improves skin tone. Initially effective for approximately 24 hours, continued use is said to result in firmer skin due to improved facial musculature.
• Tocotrienols: a high-potency form of Vitamin E — protect and moisturize the skin.
• Alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids: reduce skin roughness, diminish fine lines, and exfoliate the skin. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "For well the soul, if stout within, can arm impregnably the skin," reminding us that our face — wrinkled or smooth — broadcasts a message. Frowns are old. Smiles are young. And a smile, which costs nothing, is the most affordable facelift in the universe. (For additional information see, "The Wrinkle Cure" by Nicholas Perricone, M.D., Rodale Books.