The Deep Wrinkle

by Shannon Larsen — March 31, 2008

Sure, everyone knows that not every fine-line, wrinkle, and otherwise age-defying cream out there is going to deliver what it promises in black-and-white. But not everyone knows that most of them are incapable of doing so. The reason comes down to simple anatomy of the skin: an outer layer known as the Epidermis (what you see) and a deeper layer known as the Dermis (where the problem resides). The Dermis is the home of collagen, elastin, and essentially your skin's youth. The only way to reach the Dermis is through a substance that is transdermal, or able to pass through the protective barrier of the Epidermis.

The shitake mushroom complex, the copper creams, the collagen plumps--these things are not transdermal. They sit on the outer shell of your skin and improve only the cells that are bound to slough off and renew themselves within a month's time no matter which way you cut it. They never reach the Dermis, therefore, they never reach the fine line, wrinkle, or age spot. The only known transdermal substances are the essential oils: Vitamin E, lavender, tea tree, almond, olive, and so forth. Whether any of these oils work to reduce the signs of aging, no one can say for sure. All that is known is that the billions of dollars spent on specialty wrinkle creams has been one of the most successful gimmicks of our time.

So it's hopeless then? Not quite. But it's going to take a little brain-retraining. Instead of thinking outside, think inside. Since it's the decrease in the collagen and elastin in our skin that causes the wrinkle, the only way to replenish it is to ingest more of what they're made of. (Don't be fooled, collagen cannot be replaced by a topical cream--it has to be produced within your body.) Since collagen is mostly water and protein, the best way to replace or prevent any loss is to drink lots of water. Your water intake, without the interference of coffee and other caffeinated drinks, needs to be half your body weight in ounces. In other words, if you are 140 pounds, you need to drink 70 ounces of water a day at minimum (or 7 glasses of water). It can also be replenished by Dr. Cosby's favorite snack: J-E-L-L-O, or plain-old gelatin. It's about six bucks at the grocery store for a big box and what it will do over your $80 department store cream will amaze you.

The second biggie is maintaining elastin in your skin, which is directly connected to how much estrogen is in your body. It's no surprise then that as we age, and go through menopause, suddenly the wrinkles jump on board at twice the rate. Maintaining healthy levels of estrogen can be done through a diet of soy, green vegetables, and animal fat. Animal fat does not convert to human fat, but it does give you estrogen. Ever encounter a 24-year-old vegan who looks drawn and about 30? Chances are that they might not be getting the amount of protein and fat to keep their faces plump. So what do you say to some extra bacon once in a while?