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BODYTALK: Rub Out the Wrinkles BY CHRISTMAS DAY ; TREAT YOURSELF TO THE BEST PRESENT EVER ... OUR THREE WEEK REGIME WILL GIVE YOU YOUTHFUL, RADIANT SKIN BY CHRISTMAS. AND THE RESULTS START TO SHOW AFTER JUST ONE DAY

Posted on: Thursday, 9 December 2004, 06:00 CST

DIET

Cut back on sugar

We consume around 35 teaspoons of sugar a day, but it can bind to the skin's elastic fibres and make them less flexible. This affects the collagen and elastin, which keeps skin plump and youthful.

FACE SAVER: Scan the ingredients on the foods you eat - 10 grams of sugar per 100 grams is too much (5 grams per 100 grams is OK).

RESULTS: Expect dramatic changes. In one week you'll see an improvement in skin texture, condition and tone.

Go wild with salmon

The formula for stopping time, according to Dr Nicholas Perricone, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine and author of The Perricone Prescription, is to eat wild salmon. He believes it's the ultimate de-wrinkling food because of its anti-inflammatory qualities and very high levels of the skin-tightening chemical dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE). "It's your magic bullet for great skin tone and keeping your face firm and contoured," he says.

FACE SAVER: For a three-day nutritional facelift, eat a portion of grilled salmon two or three times a day. Salmon is the only significant dietary source of DMAE.

RESULTS: After three days your pores will be finer, and your face will be less puffy with a firmer jawline.

Eat lots of berries

Antioxidant nutrients are found in fruits, vegetables, tea and red wine. "They have outstanding anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, making them superlative skin nutrients," says nutritionist Kathryn Marsden. "They help to maintain blood vessels and capillaries and protect against free-radical attack."

FACE SAVER: Eat a cupful (around 4oz) of flavonoid-rich berries (bilberries, cranberries, blueberries) daily to help neutralise these skin-damaging free radicals and restore flexibility and resilience to the skin.

RESULTS: In five days you'll notice that skin tone is more even and flushing is reduced.

Don't crash diet

"Dropping more than a stone and then putting it back on can make you go jowly," says cosmetic surgeon Jan Stanek. She warns that an endless cycle of yo-yo dieting stretches the skin to the point of no return by causing elasticity to drop.

"At some stage it won't bounce back anymore," says Stanek. "A younger person can cope with facial fat loss because their skin is elastic and will adjust itself. However, past middle age this is no longer possible and skin will become loose, particularly in the mid- face, jowls and neck."

FACE SAVER: A healthy weight loss is around 1-2lb a week - any more than that and you'll lose lean muscle tissue and the face can become drawn. Changing your weight gradually will also allow your skin to shrink gently, so the elastin and collagen fibres can accommodate the change.

RESULTS: By dieting sensibly between now and Christmas, you'll avoid losing lean muscle tissue so your skin won't sag.

EXERCISE

Stop jogging

According to leading cosmetic surgeon Jan Stanek, serious jogging leads to an overall loss of body fat. Subcutaneous fat - which is just under the skin and gives a youthful plumpness - is especially affected. Not only that, but jogging increases your risk of wrinkles as the jolts from pounding the pavement tug on the elastic fibres, leading to sagging. Some experts rate running up there with sunlight exposure and smoking as a chief cause of ageing.

FACE SAVER: Swap jogging for swimming or walking. These activities are less vigorous so will help the face retain its natural padding.

RESULTS: After three weeks the face will look more rested.

Try face yoga

Lines and wrinkles don't actually change the shape of your face - sagging does. Once your jawline drops, the face loses its youthful definition. "Like muscles in other parts of your body, the face absorbs and stores a lot of stress and tension," says Barbara Currie, Britain's leading yoga expert. "Unless you relax those muscles, they become stiff, hard and look strained. This makes you look older."

FACE SAVER: Daily face yoga relaxes muscles and tones them, maintaining youthful definition. To firm a double chin, Currie recommends this move: grin very wide, gently drop your head back and open and close your mouth five times. Do this three times a day.

RESULTS: After one session circulation and radiance will be boosted and tight muscles softened. Toning occurs after three weeks when you'll see a firmer jaw line.

DOES IT WORK?

Jacqui road- tests the plan

At 39 I've got a few wrinkles around my eyes and mouth, and my skin has certainly lost its youthful bloom. But after just a few days of doing the plan, I noticed my complexion was more radiant and the colour was more even.

I loved eating salmon and berries, and doing the yoga relaxed face muscles that I didn't even realise were tense. It was hard giving up sugar, but I'm sure it helped plump up my skin. Now, after three weeks, people tell me how well I look.

Source: Daily Mirror

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