Lemon Against Wrinkles: Myth or Reality? Anti-Aging Benefits Revealed by Dr. Alexandra Dalu

Dr. Alexandra Dalu, a nutritionist specializing in morphological and anti-aging medicine, is categorical: “No, lemon does not in any way reduce or delay wrinkles. It is a “crazy” shortcut to think that a few drops of lemon juice can have a real positive effect on wrinkles. » She continues, “on the other hand, and just like onions, garlic, shallots, red fruits or apricots, yes, lemon is one of the very good anti-aging foods to adopt. Its high antioxidant content helps, for example, to fight against free radicals, responsible for premature aging.”
In summary: if lemon has no direct power to fight against wrinkles; its regular consumption can indeed have anti-aging benefits and therefore participate in slowing down aging and indirectly, prevent wrinkles. As a seasoning on salads, to drink diluted in cold or hot water or even, drizzled on a grill or fish… lemon juice is therefore all good!

By “anti-aging”, we must understand an approach (lifestyle, etc.) or a range of products and treatments aimed at slowing down, preventing or even reversing the effects of aging on the body, particularly on the skin. “For example, we can cite certain cosmetics containing active ingredients such as retinol or coenzyme Q10. Regular physical exercise and good sleep also help combat premature aging,” says Dr. Dalu.
The “anti-wrinkle” formulation will be more applicable to designate products, techniques or treatments aimed at reducing the appearance of folds or fine lines on the skin, generally associated with aging.

If the lemon is not therefore not the number 1 food to favor to limit and reduce wrinkles, this citrus fruit still remains one of the essentials to consume regularly for many other properties that it contains. Details of some of them:

• Rich in vitamin C: “this vitamin that lemon contains will help to fight fatigue, promote skin health by stimulating collagen productionstrengthen the immune system…” explains Dr. Alexandra Dalu. For comparison, “lemon contains no less than 45 mg/100 g of vitamin C compared to only 4.62 mg/100 g for pears” (source 1).
• The flavonoids that lemon contains will help to protect cells against damage caused by free radicals, notably reducing the risk of chronic diseases, heart disease and even the appearance of certain cancers.
• Helps digestion : lemon can also help stimulate the production of bile and thus improve digestion by decreasing the acidic pH of the food bolus.
• Weight Loss Support : the soluble fibers that lemon is full of, such as pectin, can also help reduce the feeling of hunger and promote satiety by being a natural anti-snacking agent. In the same vein, lemon juice, thanks to its aromas, is a slimming alternative to adopt in cooking, in favor of other certain fats such as margarine or rapeseed oil, which are less interesting from a nutritional point of view.
• Bleacher : lemon, thanks to its acidity, contains natural whitening agents. In the form of juice and added to a few drops of water, it can help to remove yellowing from nails.
• The citric acid present in lemon can also help to prevent the formation of kidney stones by increasing the volume of urine and its pH, creating a less favorable environment for the formation of these stones.

To the great displeasure of many ladies and gentlemen (also), there is currently no magic product to erase and prevent the appearance of wrinkles. It will be very useful, however, to remember that Certain life principles can play a fundamental role in slowing down aging. Starting with food. “Eat as much as possible based on the Cretan diet according to the current recommendations defended by the WHO (World Health Organization),” says Dr. Alexandra Dalu. “For fruits and vegetables, we will prefer them fresh and choose preferably the most colorful ones for their high antioxidant content (spinach, peppers, aromatic herbs, etc.). » Also favor foods that are sources of omega 3 (linseed oil, small oily fish, avocados in season, etc.), those rich in zinc, zinc also very interesting in preventing skin aging (legumes, salads and Brazil nuts), but also bitter foods: (artichoke, dandelion, artichoke, etc.). The latter will facilitate the good work of the liver. Without forgetting products containing vitamin E, which can be found for example in chia seeds, wheat germ oil or nuts. “Vitamin E will help to heal and protect the skin from UV rays and prevent skin aging” praises naturopath, Angèle Ferreux Maeght, in a podcast dedicated to the subject (source 2): “Sublimate your skin through food”. In a more beauty register, the one who is also chef of the Guinguette d'Angèle in Paris, advises practicing self massage and/or facial yoga “in order to maintain a certain tone of the facial muscles. The skin needs to be treated gently, in particular to preserve its microbiome.”

In continuation of these tips, guarantees of skin slowdown, Dr. Alexandra Dalu reminds us other basics like “limit your sugar consumption, ensure you get good quality sleep, take care of your home, particularly by not lighting scented candles because of the solvents they give off, and we can't say it enough: do sport every day ! » The specialist in morphological and anti-aging medicine adds: “We can also perfect our natural beauty with peels that stimulate cell renewal; injections of hyaluronic acid that nourish the skin and fill in fine lines and deep wrinkles. Injections of vitamins and growth factors are also very suitable for limiting the damage that time does to the skin.” Many other cosmetic, paramedical and medical aesthetic techniques are now offered in many centers dedicated to anti-aging medicine.

And let's be reassured on the sports side: a simple walk with your pet or taking the stairs instead of going up by elevator will be worth its “weight in gold” to stimulate anti-oxidation via ventilation and physical exercise (advice obviously applicable to people in good health). Finally, drinking water is vital : “Biotechnologies now use water as an ionic vector with the virtue of deeply recharging the metabolism with the Sublio* skin rejuvenation technique,” ​​illustrates Dr. Alexandra Dalu.

So what you need to remember: If it is impossible not to age (or not to die) and that is good news in itself (to age well), the appearance of the first signs of aging will depend on an innate parameter such as genetics. On the other hand, it will be possible for everyone to act on their epigenetics (editor's note: corresponds to the study of changes in gene activity) to slow down the aging process thanks in part to the advice mentioned above. It is therefore advisable to take this into account (or not) to slow down the countdown of time passing.