Aging is supposed to be a reward, not a punishment.  However, we live in a culture of youth, with media stars and fashion models all being (at least temporarily) young.  So images of health, happiness, sex appeal, charisma and energy are all demonstrated by young people, as if they owned all of these positive qualities.  By default, we think of our elders (if we think of them much at all) as having none of these attributes.  This is the basis of many misconceptions about our aging population, and, even more importantly, about the stereotype that we all carry about our own future.  The reason plastic surgery is so common today is that people are horrified to see themselves getting old.  Yet much of the prejudice about how our own body will age is wrong.  Let's take a look at some of the myths of aging (and take a bit of the pressure off ourselves in the process!):

1.  As we age, we can expect arthritis.  Wrong.  Arthritis is something that can happen at any age, including childhood.  When we see Grampa in shorts in the summer, we notice huge knees in the middle of noodle-thin legs.  Gramps is sure slow to get up from a sitting position.  But this does not mean the problem is arthritis inside the knee joint itself.  When muscles are not exercised, they atrophy.  Thigh muscles that once bulged are now concave.  Even with no change in the joints, the knees will start to look "nobbly" like those of a giraffe.  If Gramps is slow to get up from a sitting position, it is more likely from the lack of muscular strength rather than from arthritis.   

Action item: Exercise, but first consult your doctor and a fitness professional.  Pick activities that suit your interest, or you will quickly lose your enthusiasm.  Also pick something that suits your abilities, and won't cause any harm.  Consider yoga, pilates, aerobics on land or in the pool, or any one of the thousands of sports available from tennis to skiing.  

2.  As we age, our spines will become hunched over, like we are looking for quarters.  Wrong.  Ballerinas and professional models, even in late age, maintain great posture.  This is not by accident, but by discipline; they do daily routines of stetching and toning to keep standing tall. 

Body builder Jack Lalanne, at http://www.jacklalanne.com/jack.html shows amazing posture and energy at age 94 by keeping his muscles toned.  My partner, chiropractor Dr. Brian Stutz, just returned from a convention where he met hundreds of his colleagues, some still working in their 90's.  Even in their tenth decade, all had youthful posture.  Obviously there is something to all the alignment work they do on each other!   

Action items:  Modern work ergonomics are static, drawing our shoulders and necks into forward flexion.  We can see this when we are driving, working in front of our computers, or hunched over a desk reading.  To rebalance the body, start excercising the  muscles that extend in the opposite direction.  For instance, using pulleys or rubber bands to do "rowing" exercises will pull the shoulder blades together, and help oppose the stronger muscles on the front of the chest. Doing daily stretching will lengthen muscles that spend all day contracted: the hamstrings, as well as the pectoral muscles of the front of the ribcage.  Visit a chiropractor for an initial assessment, and consider occasional maintenance visits to treat your alignment.  By doing this you should be able to keep your spine from curving forward, and keep your body fit for vigorous activities for extra years.

3.  Wrinkled skin:  To be sure, none of us will be as smooth-skinned at 80 as we were at 20.  But much of what we assume to be "normal aging" of the face is nothing more than muscle atrophy.  Just like in the legs, this leaves concavities where the muscles once bulged.  Hence the sunken cheeks, drooping eyelids, and downturned mouth.  But your skin does not need to look as wrinkled as this photo: alright, this is an elephant, but you still don't want these wrinkles!

Action item: consider toning your facial muscles the way the professional spas do it.  Use the power of micro-electric current to stimulate your face, and to pump up all 22 muscles on each side.  The skin over top will still age, but muscle toning will take years off your face.  Visit http://www.facemaster.com/ to see Suzanne Somers show how it's done.  In today's economy, it is cheaper to buy your own machine than it is to have even one single treatment at a spa. 

So look aging directly in the face, and don't fear the future.  Not all the answers come from the plastic surgeon's menu.  Take control of your own muscles, and you will have more spring in your step, more height in your spine, and more joy in your face. 

Dr. Hanson welcomes your comments.  Visit Dr. Stutz at his site at http://www.peterhansonmd.com/. 

Good communication is critical in managing stress.  While words are important, the full context of the message depends on non-verbal communication. Words by themselves comprise only 10% of our meaning.  Tone of voice accounts for 40% , and the remaining 50% comes from  visible body language.  That is the main reason that business is not just conducted by e-mail (words only).  People use cell phones to hear the voice, and travel in person (or use video conferencing) to see the body language.  Only then can they get the full intent of the communication.

Let's take a look at a simple job performance assessment: "Robin is doing a great job".  If one looks only at the written words, it seems Robin is doing well.  But let's take a look at the rest of the non-verbal cues:

-Tone of Voice: If one says these same words sarcastically the meaning is quite different.  

-Body Language: If the speaker is rolling his eyes, sticking his tongue out, and giving the "thumbs down" sign as these same words are spoken, then we take it that Robin does a really poor job at work. 

That's why most letters of reference are useless (who has ever seen a bad one?!).

Non-Verbal Tips: 

Let's consider a person preparing for a job interview.  Here are some non-verbal tips from job coaching professionals: 

-Don't slouch when standing, and don't slide your rear forward in your chair when sitting.  When walking, move your arms; don't keep them frozen at your side.  Don't fidget, chew gum, or constantly clear your throat. Shake hands with a firm grip.  Don't have your shoulders elevated in tension, so they block your ears.  Establish good eye contact when listening, and when speaking.  Sit straight up, leaning a little forward. 

You can look serious, but don't glare like this classic stone-faced gentleman (painted by Durer in 1524)

Try not to frown, unless applying for a job as a bouncer or bill collector. 

-Show good listening skills, by incorporating (occasionally) some of the elements of the question in your answers, and demonstrate some empathy for the interviewer's needs.  Listen not only to your interviewer, but also to yourself as you speak.  Watch out for messages your eyes send; stress levels are often revealed by high rates of blinking.  In fact, Boston College professor Joe Tecce documented US presidential debates, and noted that the fastest blinker lost every election since 1980.  So make sure your contact lenses are not dry! 

Obviously, there are other many other issues, like preparation, hygiene, grooming, dress codes, and attitude.  For more comprehensive detail I recommend "interview coach" links like the ones listed below.  But no matter who's coaching style you adopt, optimizing your non-verbal presentation is always a huge advantage.  

One additional tip is made necessary by the aging population of job-seekers.  If you are competing with people half your age, you don't want to look even older than your stated years.  One of the best ways to keep your body from slouching is to exercise.  One of the best ways to keep your face from slouching is to tone its underlying 22 muscles. 

Exercise for the body is as easy as doing any sport, or going to a gym.  Yet there are no stations for "face" in the weight room.  But help is at hand!  The FaceMaster is ideal for turning up the lips at the corners, from frown to smile.  It will also tone the muscles under the eyelids, and plump up the cheeks.  In minutes, you can feel the increased muscle tone, just like you can after weight-lifting in the gym.  Even skin color is improved from a single treatment.  Click the video here to watch Suzanne Somers show how simple and quick this is. 

In todays difficult economy, most people cannot afford the luxury of frequent spa visits.  But the FaceMaster produces the same microcurrent (or "e-stim") as the professional machines that cost over $10,000.  Because owning your own FaceMaster costs less than one spa facial, you can get professional results at an affordable price.     

So if you are wanting to put your best face forward, consider interview coaching, and make sure you optimize your non-verbal communications.  Make the message you send be interpreted the way you intended! 

For more information on Dr. Hanson, visit http://www.peterhansonmd.com/.  For more information on FaceMaster, visit http://www.facemaster.com/.  For more specific advice on coaching for job interviews, visit Carole Martin at http://www.interviewcoach.com/, or http://www.interviewstuff.com/.  

It has been said that one never gets a second chance to make a first impression.  That's why appearance has become so important, especially in today's economy.   The face has assumed new importance in two areas of our lives:

1.Professional Career: record numbers of people are looking for jobs.  Some have had their hours reduced and need supplemental work to make ends meet.  At one time most job applicants were young people entering the work force; today they are joined by many who are in their forties, fifties and sixties.  Naturally they want to look their best, both in their photograph, and in person.  

2. Personal Relationships: For many, today's stresses would be much easier to bear if they had a good relationship.  And with today's time famine, thousands of singles are turning to the internet to find their ideal mate.  Once again, it all starts with a picture of the face, then an eventual meeting in person.  Naturally, one hopes the real face looks as good as the advertised one!

To make a good first impression with your photograph, you naturally want something better than a quick passport photo.   For a portrait, people take care to present their best appearance; they have their hair styled, make-up applied, and make sure they have a good photographer with good lighting.  These details will make the outer face look its best.  

But for those with facial wrinkles or sagging muscles, attention should be directed to the inner face.  At spas all over the country, facial muscles are lifted and toned with micro-electric current gently applied through wands touching the face.  Like weight-lifting, the toning is temporary, but builds with successive sessions.  Often, stars will have a couple of treatments in the week before a big media event, and will keep doing these regularly during the filming of a movie.  The before/after pictures from these spa treatments have always been dramatic.  Indeed, when we do them in our office in Denver, we give the patient a mirror after only half the face is done.  Instantly, we see the wrinkles start to diminish, and can feel the pumped-up tone of the facial muscles.  Once the inner face is toned, then the outer face is much easier to improve with make-up and lighting.

But with today's time famine (see my blog at http://www.facemaster.com/Blog/post/Time-management-how-to-put-a-good-face-on-it!.aspx), most people cannot make room in their schedule for a weekly trip to the spa.  And in today's economy, spending up to a couple of hundred dollars on a temporary facial treatment is, for most, unrealistic.   

So take a tip from Suzanne Somers, and from over 250,000 of her satisfied customers; her FaceMaster produces professional facial toning for less than the price of one spa treatment.  Once your inner face is toned, you can do a much better job with cosmetics to the outer surface.  Suzanne Somers, age 62, attributes her great facial tone to using this machine for the last 16 years.  In fact, she rarely ever misses a day!  In only a few minutes, you can see and feel the muscles firm up, the bags under the eyes start to tighten, the sagging areas over the cheeks start to plump up, and, with the "face-erasing" step called feathering, you can see fine lines and wrinkles disappear.  Watch Suzanne demonstrate how to feather her forehead at http://www.facemaster.com/videoTips.aspx?id=6.  Also take a look at our live models showing the before/after sides of their faces.

So remember, whenever you are about to interface, make sure your inner face is toned. Then you will always put your best face forward!

 Dr. Hanson welcomes your comments.  You can visit him at www.peterhansonmd.com. 

For those of you who are interested in a new career, visit sites like www.monster.com or www.indeed.com. 

For those of you looking for a new personal relationship, visit sites like www.match.com, or www.eharmony.com.

Insomnia is defined by the books as a symptom of a "sleep disorder".  The books continue to explain that it is a "difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both", followed by periodic "functional impairments" while awake.  Well, thank goodness for books, otherwise we would think insomnia was nothing to lose sleep over.

In terms of function, the late Sir Winston Churchill was, by all accounts, one of the most energetic elders of his time.  He did not start his career as British Prime Minister until the age of 64, when most of his peers were planning their retirement canasta games.  His time in office was not exactly easy, as World War II had broken out, and all of Europe was being overrun by Hitler's army.  His own army was defeated and routed back to England at Dunkirk, rescued by a galant convoy of  private skiffs and small boats.  His level of focus and function was heroic, the envy of men half his age.  How much sleep did he get?  Not even three hours a day, including cat-naps.  If he lived today, he probably would have been slammed on Ambien (along with antidepressants, etc), and would have been suffering from too much sleep, along with the 48-hour hang-over of the sleeping pills.  And a woman of that age would surely be treated with hormones, like Premarin.  Also not very effective, and full of side effects.  The only sure way to enforce an eight hour sleep in anyone would be to administer a general anesthetic every evening...hardly good medical practice. 

As people age, they often need less sleep.  For example, teenagers often need massive amounts of sleep, due to growth and activities.  At some point in the middle of our lives, around 6-8 hours is common, but certainly not universal.  As we get past 50 or 60, it is very likely that just half that will do fine, although at any age it will be common to have an occasional morning of "sleeping in" to catch up.   By the latest statistics, over 64 million Americans suffer from insomnia regularly.  No wonder the prescription-drug cartel is raking in the money for pills.

So the real measure of sleep is the quality of its results, not just the quantity of time spent.  For some these results refer to focus and function during the waking hours.  But another measure is one's appearance; hence the term "Beauty Sleep".  Nothing tells the world you are feeling tired like "insomnia face": dark circles under the eyes, sagging cheeks, droopy lids, and mattress-print lines all over the face. 

On this latter point comes a great piece of advice from the legendary Cary Grant.  In his late seventies, he noted that the key to maintaining his looks was to sleep on his back, not on his stomach, to avoid the evidence of linen-folds on his face. 

Functional Insomnia: So if you are awake when you should be sleeping, then asleep when you should be awake, take precautions.  Try a strategy of night time "hygiene" that includes keeping all work materials away from your bedroom, trying a hot bath a half-hour before retiring, and avoiding any big protein meals or vigorous exercise just before bedtime. If you wake up in the middle of the night, get up and do some of your next day's activities, eg reading, paying bills, catching up on email etc.  Don't just stare at the clock and get annoyed at being awake.  Consider carving out extra time each day for a "cat-nap" if needed; it certainly worked for Winston. Hot herbal teas can also help, as can meditation/hypnosis, acupuncture, soothing music, aromatherapy candles etc.  Only as a last resort ask for intervention with pills, as they are usually overprescribed (and over-demanded). 

Facial Insomnia: If you alarm yourself with the first glimpse in the bathroom mirror, and if you seem to be suffering from an acute attack of face, don't dispair.  Micro-current can come to your rescue, without having to go to a spa.  Try the FaceMaster® and you will be amazed; sagging muscles will firm up, lids will stop being baggy, and even the eyes themselves will look more open and bright.  Suzanne Somers correctly notes that this is the ideal cure for those "red eye" flights before going on the air.  We have also had the same comments from patients who were up all night with a sick child before they had to attend an important office meeting. 

Action tip: Remember insomnia is not a disease, and it is not caused by the lack of a brand-name drug. 

For more information on functional insomnia, consider medical acupuncture, a great drug-free way to solve the problem.  To find a doctor in your area, visit the link on http://www.peterhansonmd.com/. 

For more information on your face, visit http://www.facemaster.com/. 

Dr. Hanson welcomes your comments and questions.

Not All Plastic Surgery Guarantees A Youthful Look!

In the movie business, cameras are everywhere.  Close up images of stars' faces are broadcast on the big screen, the television, and the internet.  Needless to say, those who are in the public eye are always mindful of the changes that age imposes.  In Hollywood, where plastic surgeons abound, there are unlimited options for facial rejuvenation.  The list of menu items is mind boggling, or one might say face boggling:  injections of fillers, implantations of plastic cheek "bones", threads looped under the chin and under the skin, liposuction, and, ultimately, amputation of unwanted skin through traditional face "lifts".

Peer pressure is a huge factor here.  For example, many teenagers are now getting breast lifts, nose jobs, cheek implants, and are competing with their mothers' age groups for cosmetic procedures.  In some cases these procedures can be justified as one-time fixes.  But often there is a temptation to become "addicted" to constant tinkering, and the results are not always satisfactory. 

Toned muscles always look more natural than injected ones.  That's why people go to the gym to lift weights, not just shoot injections into their biceps!  And nothing provides a better substrate for the skin than great tone on the underlying muscles.  
 
In today's economy, people are looking for ways to save money by following the "DIY" or "do it yourself" model.  Instead of going to a spa or medical setting to have your facial muscles toned (temporarily) using a $12,000 machine, why not capture the same results with your own machine.  For less than the cost of one spa treatment, your own FaceMaster will become your favorite beauty secret, just like it is for hundreds of thousands of satisfied users.

It is clear that many people will want many services on their faces.  But none of the surgeon's list will tone their facial muscles, in fact they usually need more toning after procedures. If you have had plastic surgery the FaceMaster is an ideal way to re-tone your facial muscles, and to maintain your youthful appearance, the natural way.

To read more about Lisa Rinna's comments on her face, visit http://www.usmagazine.com/news/lisa-rinna-i-looked-like-a-freak-after-too-much-plastic-surgery. 

To learn more about the FaceMaster, visit FaceMaster.com. 

Dr. Hanson welcomes your comments, and would be pleased to take your questions.

Bell's palsy is a paralysis of the motor nerve to one side of the face. Most sufferers wish Sir Charles Bell would take it back, even though the Scottish surgeon has been dead a couple of centuries.  The nerve in question is the facial nerve, otherwise known as the 7th cranial nerve.  The cause of this paralysis is largely unknown, although it can be created by trauma to the nerve, including pressure from a tumor along its pathway, or surgical "nicking" during complicated operations.  Most often, however, it is considered "viral". 

Now a quick word of medical lingo is in order here.  When a patient wants to know what caused their disease, Doctors have hated to say "I don't know" .  So they substitute euphamisms such as "agnostic", "essential", or (my personal favorite here) "idiopathic".  If your doctor tells you your disease is caused by "essential agnostic idiopathy" then you KNOW he/she is stumped!

But an even more obvious clue your doctor has no idea what is causing something can be found with the word "viral".  A thousand years ago, medical writings would blame diseases  like this on "evil spirits".  If we substitute this for "viral" in the modern medical literature, we are right back in the dark ages!  When modern experts further want to sound knowledgeable, they may further identify said virus as "herpes simplex type 1" or whatever.  Sounds like a much more impressive bluff.   But why only one side of the face?  Wouldn't any virus find it just as easy to settle on both sides?  Why not on the back of the head, or for that matter the arm or the leg; they have nerves there too!  Don't ask too many questions, as the experts may start to confabulate here.  And yes, sometimes we just don't know it all!

 Bell's palsy affects men and women equally, from childhood to old age, and on either side of the face .  About 40,000 Americans each year will develop this condition.  Usually it appears spontaneously, with no fever or incedent to announce it. It can get better by itself, with about half the patients seeing recovery in a few weeks.  However, some cases will last months, and many will last for years.  Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Cretien acquired his Bell's palsy in his youth, and still has it in his senior years.

In any event, when half your face is paralyzed, you do look odd, as this picture shows.  

But in terms of function, this half-faced paralysis can be a real problem.  The eyelids usually don't close fully, leaving the corneal surface of the eye to dry out.  Often eyedrops and tape are required to moisten and shut the lids at night.  Also, eating soup can be a catastrophe.  Not to mention spaghetti.   A crystal wine glass becomes a dribble cup.  You need to wear a bib just to give a toast.  

So the real question here (for those cases unlucky to not clear up quickly on their own) is not "what causes it?".  Rather it is: "can anyone please fix this?"

Oral steroids are the standard here, but they are more of a "hail mary pass" to use the football vernacular.  Side effects are a concern, and the drug goes everywhere, not just to the one nerve on one side of the face.  Much better results are seen with medical acupuncture, which inserts needles strategically into points along the underlying nerve branches.

 I have treated literally hundreds of Bell's cases with electrical micro-current applied to sterile acupuncture needles, with virtually full recovery in most, including some with over ten years of non-response to other treatments.  I have also trained dozens of M.D.'s from around the US in my offices in Denver, and they have had similar success in their own practices.  E-stim with micro current is particularly dramatic, as it can be seen to work immediately.  The muscles visibly "twitch" as they are selectively stimulated, and the nerve-muscle connection begins to resume its function.  Usually within a three visits we can start to demonstrate recovery, and further visits will take the face back to full normalcy.  We normally treat twice a week for the first six visits, then cut back to weekly or even monthly depending on speed of recovery. 

Between visits, find great improvement is seen with e-stim in a home machine version.  The same microcurrent is applied as that which we use through the needles, but no needles are used.  Simply by touching the moistened wand tips to the correct anatomical sites on the face, the home unit will make the 22 muscles on each side of the face start to twitch, and begin to resume their tone.  The machine I recommend to my patients is the FaceMaster.  Full disclosure (if not full modesty) compells me to  mention that I co-founded the FaceMaster company (with former Apple Notebook lead engineer Rodger Mohme), and have been delighted to see it pass through rigorous FDA study, to gain clearance as an effective cosmetic device for toning the facial muscles.  Suzanne Somers loves hers so much she tells everyone it is her "best beauty secret", and the first thing she wanted replaced when her home burned down. 

So, even if you don't have Bell's Palsy (and especially if you do!), use electrostimulation to tone your muscles.  Volume builds up beneath the skin.  Eyelids firm up their droopiness, cheek muscles lessen their sagging, wrinkles diminish, and the angles of the mouth turn from frown to smile.  Once my patients have seen how effective it is they do not want to stop using it on both sides of their faces. 

We welcome your comments and questions. 

For more information on Dr. Hanson's medical acupuncture practice, visit www.peterhansonmd.com For an MD in your area, visit http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/. 

For more information on the FaceMaster, and to read other blogs by Dr. Hanson, visit FaceMaster.com. 

If the FDA ordered the human body to list its contents in descending order of magnitude, water would be at the top of the list.  Along with food and oxygen, water is one element we cannot live without, at least not for long.  But most people never quite have enough of it, and constantly run at levels that are "down a quart".  This level of mild dehydration can have a distinct effect on the optimal running of the body, and also on the optimal beauty.

I had a patient who used to water ski with her cousins every year in upstate New York.  The ski boat was driven by her rich uncle, who happened to be a notorious tightwad.  In order to save money on gas, he only drove the boat at half speed.  The kids were all dragged around very slowly, with water up to their hips.  Pictures of their faces were telling; not one of them had any fun this way, just for the lack of a bit more "oomph". 

By keeping the modern body in a chronic state of mild dehydration, the human on dry land is having a similar sub-optimal time of it.  Not quite enough "oomph" to power the full metabolism, keep the blood , urine, and digestion flowing smoothly, keep the defense mechanisms like tears and mucous membranes properly functioning to defend us against illnesses.  Its been noted that we can live months without food,  minutes without air, and barely a few weeks without water.    But water is not only vital to life itself.  Having enough of it is critical to our daily health, and essential to our function and appearance.  For the latter reason, water has been called the ultimate First Beauty Tip: Drink enough of it!

For example, the face is the most constant presentation of a person's beauty.  When that person is "down a quart", the skin not only is more prone to flakiness, but every cell in the face loses its water pressure or  turgor.  Think of the turgor that keeps a flower standing tall in its vase; then think of the droopy flacid stem when one forgets to add water to it.  Human cells respond in just the same way.

When deprived of quite enough water, the skin of the face gets soft and dough-like, and the lips are dried and puckered.  The eyes often become red, and the lids puffy as a consequense of dryness.  No point trowelling on the make-up quite yet!  Botox and surgeries?  Not so fast!  Help is easy to tap, and its free!

But be  careful of what else may be in your drink.  Soda pop has eight spoonfuls of sugar in each can, which is hugely inflammatory for the cells.  Alcohol (beyond  a healthful glass or two) is going to make the dehydration worse.  Hence the post-hangover vision in the morning mirror: an acute attack of face. 

Water is what you are missing, and water is what you should use to replace it.  

But selling is critical.  Lukewarm tap water in an old mug is not very appetizing.  So reach for a favorite crystal glass, add a few ice cubes, slice of lime, bubbly bottled water, a paper umbrella...whatever it takes to "sell" it to yourself.   A great way to market free tap water is to do what the French bistros do: save a couple of old wine bottles, and keep tap water in them, in the refrigerator.  No cap needed.  Taken out of the fridge and placed on the table, the bottle is frosted, and looks cool and quenching even if you add nothing else to it. 

So the next time you look in the mirror and start thinking of surgical remodelling of your face, take a second look at your fluid levels.  Try drinking at least an extra quart (liter) of water each day, and you will be at least starting your recovery in the healthiest possible way.  Here's looking at you! 

If you have any comments on the above, please contact me on this blog, or visit me at peterhansonmd.com. 

If you wish to learn more about the face, visit facemaster.com.

Nothing typifies aging as much as muscle atrophy. We see it in the whole body, unless active measures like sports and weight training are introduced. In the face, there are no gym stations to help, but we still need to tone the 22 muscles under the skin. The FaceMaster is ideally suited to the task.

There is more to medicine than medicines.  Not every symptom is caused by the lack of brand-name drugs, and not every facial wrinkle is caused by the lack of surgery or injections.  Famed NY dermatologist Dr. Nick Perricone has written his practical theories into book form, one of the first of which is "The Perricone Prescription" (first published in 2002).  In it he takes away the medical myths of aging, and offers excellent solutions for each reader.  For example, he discusses the importance of a good diet, rich in salmon, raspberries and blueberries, as well as flaxseed powder or oil.  He also points out the dangers of eating the more common fast food diet: high in processed sugars and full of chemicals and hormones indroduced into the food chain for corporate profit (not consumer health) reasons. 

As we age, the skin certainly shows it.  And nowhere is this harder to hide than on the face.  But rather than have people all start off with surgical procedures as their only menu, Perricone wisely empowers the reader to take active control over their own skin.  Not just from the perspective of nutrition, but he also covers the application of products like DMAE from the surface as well.

But under the surface is where the real secret lies; the facial muscles.  Twenty-two on each side of the face, all conveniently located close to the skin, and all reachable with stimulation from the surface.  By tightening and toning these muscles, he notes, the face looks younger, increases its volume, and overall reduces wrinkles.  Now, traditionally there has been no way for a patient to do this on their own, and Perricone notes many thousands of patients do the opposite: they ask their doctors to paralyze these muscles with Botox. 

Perricone then looked to the world of microstimulation (with a very small electrocurrent).  He notes that there were no easy machines to try this on, but he was able to conduct an early experiment using a glove to hold the positive/negative points on the skin, and the results were astounding.  He noted that the lips became plumper, the sagging under the surface became more toned, and the patients were delighted with the resulting youthful appearance.  Unlike surgery or shots, the muscles were restored to their youthful form, and not slackened, cut, or altered.  

As a fellow practitioner, I can readily concur with Dr. Perricones findings in this book.  Since his manuscript was written, however, there indeed is now a practical way of applying what he titles "The Miracle of the Ageless-Electrical and Chemical Stimulation of (facial) Muscles for a More Youthful Appearance".  Suzanne Somers has introduced her FaceMaster, as she mentions in her bestseller "Ageless", which does all the "miracle" work Dr. Perricone recommends. 

If you are worried about your face and the aging process, please read "The Perricone Prescription", visit his site at perriconemd.com, and read his blog at dailyperricone.com.   And if you are impressed by his rave reviews of electrostimulation to the facial muscles, consider visiting facemaster.com to learn how to tone your muscles like Suzanne does at home.  Save yourself a trip to the spa, a shot, or a surgery. 

Review written by Peter G. Hanson, M.D.

Author, "The Joy of Stress", Co-developer of the Facemaster, and Medical Acupuncturist in Denver.  www.peterhansonmd.com