Admit it! Isn't it your ultimate fantasy to be mistaken for your child's sibling instead of parent? Sureshot evidence that the 'look younger' mania has hit shows when twenty-somethings walk into my clinic and request anti-ageing treatments. It's never too early to start I say -- look after your skin while it's young and it will stay that way longer.

• What your skin needs this winter

Eat right

Often repeated to the point of overkill -- yes, antioxidants are your best friends in the battle against wrinkles. Eat plenty of citrus fruit (oranges, lemons), yellow fruit and veggies (carrots, papayas, mangoes) and salad greens. Basically, eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables -- the more brightly coloured the better, and preferably have them raw. Snack on almonds and walnuts too, a couple of times a week, for zinc and micronutrients.

Drink and be merry

Ten glasses of water a day helps your body flush out toxins. The result is so effective that you will look and feel younger in a matter of days.

Tea is also a miracle drink for staying young.

The French have always sworn by red wine and now research proves them right -- there are antioxidants and anti-obesity compounds in red wine that could actually keep you youthful.

Exercise your facial muscles

Do these exercises daily to tone up your facial muscles and tighten your skin. Repeat five times and hold for 10 seconds each time.

• Screw up your eyes tightly shut, hold and release.
• Puff your cheeks by filling air in your mouth, hold and release.
• Lift your eyebrows to the maximum possible, hold and release.
• Grin to bare your teeth forcefully, then turn down the corners of your mouth and light up your chin

Moisturise

The first sign of ageing skin is its incapability to produce enough natural oil to keep itself supple. Those who moisturise their skin frequently and are regular users of night creams look visibly younger than their counterparts who don't.

Sun protection

If you want to keep looking young, stay indoors. Or, carry an umbrella when you step out of the house. The enviable smooth skins that Japanese and other Orientals have is thanks to their habit of carrying parasols.

Sunscreen, used liberally, is the next best option. Remember to use sunscreen that has an SPF of 30. Reapply every two hours.

Treatments

Various treatments are available with dermatologists nowadays that can help.

Chemical peels, especially Glycolic Acid (fruit based) peels, improve your complexion and decrease the ageing process by modifying collagen. These need to be repeated every few weeks. The cost of each sitting is about Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000.

Botox injections can take care of problems like crow's feet around your eyes and lines on the forehead. These cost between Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 depending on the quantity of Botox you need.

The latest treatment to hit the market is 'super pulsed radio frequency' -- a process by which collagen in the deeper layers of skin gets tightened, reducing wrinkles visibly. These sittings also need fortnightly repetitions and cost about Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 each. A probe, which passes the waves to your skin layers, is gently rubbed over your face -- all you feel is a slight warmth, which is quite tolerable.

If you decide to get any of these treatments done, make sure you're in safe hands, by going to a qualified dermatologist.

Until someone discovers the mythical 'fountain of youth', these measures are your best bet to continue looking as young as you feel inside.

Don't miss!

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• Ten things we do to damage our skin