Sleep and Human Growth Hormone

• Maintaining a youthful complexion starts with a healthy lifestyle, according to Perricone. Sleep is one of his top recommendations, because secretion of human growth hormone peaks during sleep. Human growth hormone may be an important factor in maintaining a young, wrinkle-free look. The relationship between cortisol and human growth hormone is complex, but basically cortisol breaks down skin cells and human growth hormone helps keep skin thick and elastic. The most important factor is getting enough deep sleep. According to a study by Takahashi, Kipnis and Daughaday, the most growth hormone was secreted during deep sleep. Other easy ways to increase human growth hormone secretion include exercise and diet. According to an article in "Peak Performance," for optimal growth hormone secretion you should exercise three times a week, with a number of sprints in each exercise session. Immediately after exercise, eat a small serving of protein. Before exercise, eat foods rich in glutamine, such as cabbage, beets, beef, chicken, fish, beans, and dairy products. Avoid fats before exercise and avoid sugar afterward.
  
  

Anti-Wrinkle Diet

• Perricone's anti-wrinkle diet is an easy-to-follow, anti-inflammatory diet with health benefits far beyond the elimination of wrinkles. Many naturopaths and health advocates call for a similar diet plan. According to Michael Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma," the one thing that every dietitian interviewed agreed on was that we need to eat as many green leafy vegetables as possible. That is one of the main tenets of Perricone's diet. Basically, we need to eat green leafy salads with olive oil and lemon juice dressing, salmon, and berries for dessert. Along the same lines, foods such as kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower contain many similar nutrients. Any cold-water fish will have similar benefits to salmon, and other fruits rich in antioxidants, such as grapes and citrus fruits, have similar health benefits. Other important dietary and lifestyle choices recommended by top dermatologists, according to Web MD, include avoiding smoking, caffeine, alcohol, sugar and processed foods, and wearing sunscreen.
  
  

Other Treatments

• Using a moisturizer will help feed the skin and keep it nourished. Coconut oil, sesame oil and sweet almond oil all contain essential fatty acids and antioxidants that will keep your skin supple and wrinkle-free. Gently exfoliating the skin with an acid-based lotion such as yogurt is important to slough off dead skin cells. Weekly masks to nourish the skin will help as well. See Resources for recipe ideas.
  
  More invasive methods include plastic surgery, botox injections and glycolic and other acid peels. Each of these methods must be administered by a doctor or other health professional, and each treatment can be expensive. See Resources for more information on invasive treatments.