Fischer - Younger skin in 28 days: the fast-track diet for beautiful skin and a cellulite-proof body

A wealthy Spanish explorer named Juan Ponce de Leon first heard of the Fountain of Youth when he sailed to South America in 1508.[1][2] Sailors of the 1500s who embarked on long sea voyages were at risk of dying from scurvy so Ponce de Leon brought with him a range of citrus fruits and planted lemon seeds at the ports he frequentedadvice which was given to him by the famous explorer Christopher Columbus.

Ponce de Leon settled at San Juan and his slaves built a grand house for him which he named Casa Blanca, meaning white castle. But he was depressed. The years he spent at sea battling harsh weather conditions had wrinkled his skin like an old apple and the decades of drinking liquor had swelled his belly. Then one day, according to legend, he overheard one of his Indian slaves say, In Bimini no one grows old.

Bimini! What is Bimini? he asked.

It is a beautiful island fragrant with flowers that lies far to the north of us. There is a spring of clear water and everyone that bathes in it becomes as young and strong as he was in his best days.[3]

Ponce de Leon asked around and the fountain seemed to be common knowledge among the slaves. So he made up his mind to conquer Bimini and claim the Fountain of Youth as his own. Ponce de Leon prepared three ships. In 1513, after exploring several islands to no avail, the Spaniards discovered a strange coast where the land was covered with flowers. It happened to be Easter Sunday, or Pascua Florida which meant the Feast of Flowers, so Ponce de Leon named the land Florida. The Spaniard planted lemon and orange trees in Florida to protect his men from dying of scurvy. Then he roamed the land, drinking from every clear spring and bathing in many streams and lakes. He did not regain his youth and he eventually gave up the search.

But the anti-ageing fountain played on his mind for many years and so Ponce de Leon returned in 1521 to conquer Florida and establish a Spanish colony. The natives fought back and Ponce de Leon was struck by an arrow. Take me back to Spain, he wailed, for I shall never find the fountain of youth. His ship carried him to Cuba but he soon died from his wound.

Ponce de Leons search for a miracle natural spring may have been fruitless, but according to historical documents, he did discover a remarkable remedy that could heal the skin and extend life expectancy. It was so revolutionary that it would take the rest of the world more than 200 years to discover this cure and another 100 years before doctors would accept it as a legitimate skin treatment.

Ponce de Leon knew, thanks to his fellow Spanish explorer Columbus who had passed on the remedy, that citrus fruits prevented the skin from falling apart. Suffered by sailors and land-dwellers alike, scurvy was, at the time, a baffling disease where your skin slowly fell apart due to lack of vitamin C in the diet. The first signs were dry skin and mysterious bruising, fatigue and cracked and bleeding lips. As the vitamin C deficiency worsened, the skin would become bumpy and old wounds reopened as the skins collagen bonds weakened and sufferers eventually bled to death. In fact, in 1595, a Dutch fleet sailed to the East Indies with 249 men, and returned two years later with only 88 survivors because they did not eat enough vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables.[4]

In 1747, more than 200 years after Ponce de Leon, British surgeon James Lind was credited with discovering the cure for scurvy. It took another 100 years for citrus fruits to be accepted as a legitimate treatment for scurvy around the world and in 1932 vitamin C was isolated as the therapeutic nutrient.[5] And while vitamin C was not the Fountain of Youth originally sought by the Spanish explorer, it was one piece of the anti-ageing puzzle.

The quest for younger skin has been recounted for centuries. The ancient Egyptians had many rituals for beautifying themselves. Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, bathed in sour milk which was rich in skin-smoothing lactic acid, and women in ancient Rome rubbed their skin with fermented grape skins (resveratrol-rich remnants from the bottom of wine barrels).[6] Ancient Chinese emperors sent sailors in search of youth-restoring pearls. Today we have botox, lasers and fillers (to name a few) to magically smooth our skin.

I believe everyone has the right to do whatever they like in the quest for beautiful skin so I am not going to admonish the artificial options. We are so lucky to live in an age where many anti-ageing treatmentsboth natural and artificialare available if we wish to use them. However, many of us are still searching for that miracle quick-fixa fountain of youththat will make us young again, while overlooking one major fact: your skin is made from the foods you eat. According to US research, today many Americans still suffer from scurvy (the ancient sailors disease!) because people are simply not eating enough fruits and vegetables.[7] Its a simple reminder to include healthy food in your beauty regime.