The Acne Prescription: The Perricone Program for Clear and Healthy Skin at Every Age

Acne: it's not just for teens anymore. Thanks to changing hormone levels, many women in their 30s and 40s (and some men as well) can expect to regain a part of youth they really didn't miss. It's not the curfew—-it's the problem skin. Early on in The Acne Prescription, Dr. Perricone (The Perricone Prescription) repeatedly emphasizes that half his patients are adult women. And really, this book seems written specifically for them. He refers to acne as a systemic inflammatory disease. His three-part program aimed at reducing inflammation emphasizes widespread dietary changes generally based on the glycemic index of foods, taking a variety of supplements, and using specific topical applications. The diet features plenty of water, several servings of salmon each week, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. An extremely detailed guide to supplements offers an excellent education, and an illustrated yoga course provides a method of relaxation and gentle exercise. Few of the recipes from an extensive section are geared for novice cooks (almond flour pancakes with mixed berry compote, for example). If you're interested in curing acne problems from the inside out and are willing to make substantial lifestyle choices, you'll find this an excellent learning tool; in other instances, it may seem simply overwhelming. --Jill Lightner

Nicholas Perricone, MD, FACN, is a board certified clinical and research dermatologist. A brilliant scholar, Dr. Perricone completed medical school in just 2 1/2 years, graduating at the head of his class. He completed his internship in Pediatrics at Yale Medical School and his Dermatology Residency at Ford Medical Center. Dr. Perricone is regarded as the father of the Inflammation Theory of Aging. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Wrinkle Cure (Rodale Reach May 2000). Warner Books published the trade paper edition in May of 2001. It reached # 1 on both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times bestseller lists March 24, 2002 and remained there for four weeks. Close to one million copies are in print. His PBS-TV special of the same name is one of the top fundraisers for Public Television.

Dr. Perricone is certified by the American Board of Dermatology, is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and the Society of Investigative Dermatology. He is the recipient of the 2002 Eli Whitney Award, awarded annually to an outstanding individual for significant contribution to science.

Prior recipients include National Medal of Science recipient, Igor Sikorsky, (founder of Sikorsky aircraft) inventor of the first practical helicopter, which established the bedrock upon which today's helicopter industry rests, and Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome -- the lightest, strongest, and most cost-effective structure ever devised.

Dr. Perricone holds dozens of US and international patents for the treatment of skin and systemic disease, and for the use of topical anti-inflammatories for reversing and preventing damage to skin caused by age, the sun, the environment, hormonal changes, etc. He is the author of numerous scientific articles documenting the results of his research and is a contributing editor to the peer-reviewed medical journal Skin and Aging and is a member of the editorial board of Archives of Gerontology & Geriatrics. He is Chairman of the International Symposium on Aging Skin, an annual meeting in which researchers come together from around the world to share their latest scientific breakthroughs in the prevention of aging and aging skin.

Vogue magazine has named Dr. Perricone one of the top four dermatologists in the United States.

His latest book The Perricone Prescription, A Physician’s 28-Day Program for Total Body and Face Rejuvenation, is being published by HarperCollins to coincide with the premier of his second television special for PBS-TV, the leading national educational television network, in September of 2002.