THE latest diet craze, that will push the Atkins off the bestseller list, has nothing to do with slimming. It is about getting rid of wrinkles rather than fat, and was invented by Dr Nicholas Perricone, an American professor of dermatology.

Perricone claims that you can give yourself a nutritional facelift in just three days by eating fresh salmon three times a day. Your sags and bags (his expression) will, if not disappear totally, at least plump up to such an extent that you will see a marked difference.

The crux of Perricone’s theory is that most of us eat too little high-quality protein, especially oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. What makes fish stand out from other protein sources as an anti-ageing food is its multiple polyunsaturated fat and fatty acid content. Wild cold-water fish, including salmon, mackerel and trout, have the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which contain a chemical that stimulates nerve function and encourages the muscles under the skin to contract and tighten.

“It is,” Perricone says, “your magic bullet for great skin tone, keeping your face firm and contoured. It prevents and reverses sagging.”

A research scientist and former assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale, Perricone reasons that if ageing is characterised by the breakdown of cells, the antidote to ageing might be cellular repair.

“As protein is digested,” he says, “it breaks down into amino acids that are used by the cells to repair themselves. Without adequate protein, our bodies enter into an accelerated ageing mode. Our muscles, organs, bones, cartilage, skin and the antibodies that guard us from disease are all made of protein.”

We cannot store protein in our bodies so we need to eat it three times a day. This includes red meat, full-fat dairy products, fish, egg whites, skinless chicken and turkey breast.

Perricone argues that instead of being afraid of fat, we should concentrate on the glycaemic index that rates the sugar content of food on a scale of one to 100, rather than on the number of calories it contains. This is because sugar molecules attach themselves to collagen, making fibres stiff and inflexible, which causes wrinkles.

When the dermatologist’s book The Wrinkle Cure came out in New York, it was such a hit that the city was rumoured to have run out of fresh salmon (smoked salmon doesn’t count because it is too salty). Kim Cattrall, Jennifer Lopez, Gemma Kidd and Bruce Willis are all said to have followed the diet.

Now he has written a follow-up, The Perricone Prescription: it recommends a 28-day programme stuffed with fish, turkey breast, fresh nuts, melon, olives and tomatoes, which will, he promises, set you on your way to being wrinkle-free for life.

Perricone, who is a fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences and the American College of Nutrition, has also created a range of vitamin pills — you take seven morning and evening — and face and body creams. The pills cost £125 for 60 packets, just over a month’s supply. The anti-ageing treatments cost from £36 to £150.

RULES

• Always eat protein first.
• Don’t drink alcohol.
• Graze on dark, fresh berries. They contain antioxidants which help to kill off pollutants.
• Coffee is out. It raises levels of cortisol and insulin, hormones that accelerate ageing and store body fat. Substitute green tea, which contains catechin polyphenols — antioxidants that boost metabolism and slow ageing. Green tea can also block the absorption of bad fats by 30 per cent, while the amino acid theonine promotes a sense of calm and improves your mood.
• Use only slow-cooked oatmeal, not the instant variety.
• Avoid dried fruits, as they are calorie-dense and are concentrated balls of fructose.
• Exercise every day.

  The three-day nutritional facelift is one of the easiest-to-follow diets I have come across, though on day two I cracked and allowed myself a glass of wine. However, I did manage to follow the diet 80 per cent — for me, that’s good.

  I love salmon, though after nine helpings I’d had more than enough. Snacking on chicken and grazing on nuts, olives and fruit in between helped, though I could not buy cantaloupe melon at the time.

  Since I am taking seven of Perricone’s massive vitamin pills twice a day, plus slapping on my face and neck five different potions and lotions, I cannot truthfully say whether it is the diet, the vitamins, the creams or a combination of all three that is making me look less wrinkly.But I certainly feel a lot healthier.

  Most of the diet’s strictures were easy to follow. I found green tea tolerable, though it will never replace a good cuppa, and I am not sure a wrinkle-free life is worth living if I have to give up coffee or alcohol.

  I could not find oats that you can cook slowly, but I’m still looking. And I drink gallons of water already, though it is tap, not spring water.The best aspect of the diet is the energy you achieve. I have even started going to the gym or for a swim three times a week, and loving it.

  The Perricone Prescription by Nicholas Perricone, HarperCollins, £14.99
  

  THREE-DAY NUTRITIONAL FACELIFT

  Breakfast
  Omelette of 3 egg whites and 1 yoke and/or 4-6oz piece of grilled or poached salmon ½ cup cooked oatmeal (not instant) 3in slice of cantaloupe and ¼ cup of fresh berries (blueberries, if possible) 8-12oz spring water (minimum)

  Lunch
  4-6oz grilled salmon or low-sodium canned tuna in spring water, or sardines in olive oil 2 cups romaine lettuce; dress with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste 2in slice of cantaloupe, ¼ cup fresh berries 8-12oz water

  Mid-afternoon snack
  2oz low-salt, sliced chicken breast 4 raw, unsalted hazelnuts ½ green apple 8-12oz water

  Dinner
  4-6oz grilled salmon 2 cups romaine lettuce; dressed as above 3in slice of cantaloupe and ¼ cup of fresh berries 8-12oz water

  Before-bedtime snack
  2oz low-fat, low-salt turkey or chicken breast ½ pear or green apple 3 or 4 almonds or olives 8-12oz water Repeat for two more days.