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