One of my most exciting discoveries came about almost by accident. Several years ago I met with Rebecca, a new patient interested in starting an anti-aging regimen. At 34 years of age, Rebecca was already a top editor at a highly regarded beauty and fashion magazine—in fact, we had met when she interviewed me for a feature story on my first book, The Wrinkle Cure.

Although Rebecca did not have loss of skin tone or deep wrinkles, fine lines were beginning to appear in the eye area. She was also losing that radiance and bloom of youth that characterizes the skin of women in their teens and twenties. I started Rebecca on a regimen of topical antioxidants with an emphasis on alpha lipoic acid and DMAE. I recommended that Rebecca apply Alpha Lipoic Acid Face Firming Activator to her face and neck morning and evening.

At our follow-up appointment six weeks later, Rebecca was bubbling with happiness, "You will not believe this Dr. Perricone," she enthused. "Everyone is raving about my skin—and that’s not all. The scars on my cheek and jaw line that remained from a teenage bout with acne have all but disappeared!"

Alpha lipoic acid’s ability to greatly diminish the appearance of scars has been tested many times. Studies have been completed showing that alpha lipoic acid indeed can prevent and reverse scar formation. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study by plastic surgeon D. G. Genecov, M.D.* and his group applied lipoic acid twice daily to the scars generated by cleft lip palate surgery on the upper lip of children. The children's parents applied the cream twice daily, not knowing whether it was an inactive base or a cream containing alpha lipoic acid. After one year, the study revealed that those receiving the alpha lipoic acid cream had much diminished scar formation. Their lips appeared ....