Mirror, Mirror on the wall,

Can I Be the Fairest of all?

Lord Shiva blessed Markandeya with the elixir of youth, so he remained 'sweet sixteen' forever. What would the computer age man and woman not do to look youthful for all eternity?

It is no longer fairy-tale stuff; that the ugly old bullfrog can actually be transformed into a handsome young prince - what with today's developments in science and refinements in surgical techniques.

In the Bible, Methuselah is said to have lived for 969 years. If ancient science knew the secret of staying young, modern science and technology also seems to have the answers.

What then are the secrets of defying age? How can one look and feel younger?

Ayurveda and Siddha methods of medicines have practiced 'Kayakalpa' or body rejuvenation. The aim was to improve health and longevity in addition to attaining higher consciousness. One of the ways of doing it was by the 'panchakarma'(mentioned in the Charaka Samhita).This works on the principle of keeping the anabolic and catabolic processes, namely regeneration and degeneration in harmony.

The Complete Makeover

Cosmetology is a rapidly growing arena and beauticians have a wide array of devices, chemicals and methods to offer someone who wishes to brush off the tell-tale lines of age.

A host of creams and lotions containing chemicals such as retinols (derived from vitamin A), vitamin C, selenium and Co-enzyme Q10 are available for application over the skin, which by virtue of their anti-oxidant effect help repair skin damaged by the sun or aging process, and also promote repair of the skin.

Stripping down to the basics, one could get rid of the superficial, devitalized layers of the skin by a process called 'exfoliation'. Alpha hydroxy lipoic acid, mild glycolic acids are chemical peels available in the form of creams, which remove the top layers of the skin to reveal young glowing skin below.

BOTOX-the 'priming' poison

The hottest chemical of today, botox is derived from a toxin secreted by bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. When it is injected under the skin, it causes the muscle under the skin to get paralyzed, resulting in smoothening of the wrinkles. This can help to get rid of those anxious creases on the forehead, the crow's feet on the sides of the eyes and wrinkles beside the mouth as well. The effect may last for up to six months, following which one may have to repeat the process.

Fill those hollows

'Fillers' are substances, which can be injected into creases, and it helps 'fill' the hollows created by deepening lines of maturity. The fillers could be sourced from animals or could be synthetic in origin. The former does not provide lasting relief and requires a re-do after a while. The synthetic substances score over the natural ones in being long –lasting, but can cause allergy and pain at times.

Rays Of Hope

Lasers are finding widespread application in medicine and in cosmetology too. The uses of lasers range from treatment of acne scars, pigmentation, and wrinkles to rejuvenation on the whole.