Chapter 1
Beautiful Skin for Life

Wrinkled, sagging skin is not the inevitable result of growing older. It's a disease, and you can fight it. You can look your best, feel your best, and enjoy beautiful skin and optimum health every day of your life, provided you start right now. And you don't need expensive, invasive plastic surgery to do it. After nearly two decades of scientific research, I have discovered a revolutionary, all-natural approach to preventing the signs of aging by putting nature's most powerful nutrients to work for your skin.

In my dermatology practice in Connecticut, I use cosmeceuticals to treat a whole host of skin problems, from acne, uneven pigment, dark circles, and poor skin tone to fine lines, sagging skin, and loss of radiance---problems that often come with age. My hundreds of patients come from all walks of life, from teenagers to grandfathers, from soccer moms to celebrities, and I'm proud to say that they consistently leave my office with great results. You can, too. By following my program, you can have smooth, radiant, youthful skin well into your forties, fifties, sixties, and beyond.

Of course, beautiful skin on the outside begins with good health on the inside. Think about it: have you ever seen an unhealthy person with a flawless complexion and a radiant glow? Of course not. Beautiful skin doesn't come in a bottle. Although your skin may appreciate the care and attention you lavish on it from the outside---creams, gels, and gentle soaps---it will suffer dearly from the damage you cause on the inside if you don't get enough sleep, smoke, drink too much alcohol, don't eat properly, and don't take essential vitamins, including A, C, and E.


Good Nutrition for a Great Complexion

My daughter Catie is only two, but she's already on her way to a lifetime of good health and beautiful skin. Every morning for breakfast, she climbs into my lap, asks for her special toddler-sized "Catie fork," and digs right into my breakfast, a morning meal of grilled salmon, fresh blueberries and strawberries. No sweetened cereals or toaster pastries for Catie. In fact, she likes my breakfast so much that some days I leave for work hungry. Our unusual breakfasts are just one part of the health and nutrition plan I've developed during 15 years of research into what keeps our skin and bodies young and vital. My interest in nutrients and healthy foods may seem unusual in a dermatologist, especially at a time when surgery, laser, and other high-tech treatments are the focal point of much of the work done in my profession.

I like to think I've always been a little ahead of the curve. In today's world of health food superstores and daily fitness workouts, it may seem hard to believe that doctors were once resistant to accepting nutrition as a critical part of preventive medicine. But back in 1979, when I entered medical school at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, the study of nutrition (and the beneficial effects of exercise, for that matter) was virtually unheard of.

My own fascination with nutrition was sparked during my undergraduate days, before I entered medical school. I had always suffered from sallow, acne-plagued skin, allergies, and fatigue, so I started reading everything I could find on the subject---which, at the time, pretty much meant everything written by Linus Pauling, Ph.D., a strong proponent of vitamin C, and nutritionist Adele Davis. I began experimenting with vitamins on my own, and the results were gratifying. My skin and allergies improved, and I had much more energy.

After graduation and a short stint in the army, I became director of the Connecticut branch of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I continued to keep a careful eye on nutrition research, and I was particularly intrigued by anecdotal evidence that muscular dystrophy patients seemed to improve by taking high doses of vitamin E. I began looking into vitamins as therapeutic agents for chronic, incurable diseases.