(Editor’s Note: A recent Weekender carried a color advertisement promoting Imedeen (“The Fountain of Youth?”), a food additive that claims to help erase skin wrinkles (from the inside). The ad elicited a number of phone calls to Weekender asking for more information. Editor Corky Alexander contacted the firm who arranged a meeting with longtime Tokyoite (ASIJ class of ’68) Farida Rahman, a gorgeous photographic and fashion model who has been ingesting Imedeen for 18 months. Does it work? The answer seems to be a resounding “Yes!”)
Cork: Farida, there are hundreds— who knows how many?—Weekender readers who want to know more about Imedeen. Primarily, does it work?
Farida: Well, in my case, it surely does. I’ve been taking Imedeen on a daily basis for more than a year now—about 18 months. I learned about it from my modeling acquaintances in Europe; Imedeen originated in Scandinavian I countries. The product is enormously successful on the Continent.
To tell the truth, my problem was not wrinkles on my face, but my overall skin condition. I tend to have dry skin, and in recent months, the skin on my body—mostly my knees and elbows—has become smooth, moist and not dry at all. Before in certain weather conditions, the skin would become white and flaky. I wasn’t the one who noticed the difference, actually. My makeup man, a gentleman I’ve known for more than 20 years, remarked on how fresh I looked, even after a long air flight to a job.
Then others in my profession made similar remarks; that I seemed to be looking younger. As I say, these are professional people and not concerned about flattering me. And they know how old I am! I finally attributed this improvement in my appearance to Imedeen; I’d been taking nothing else that could have produced such results.
Cork: I understand that Imedeen is not a medicine, that no prescription is needed.
Farida: No, not at all. It’s a food supplement, developed in Scandinavia and made from natural products, nearly all of them from the sea. Proteins developed from marine products, seaweed and other healthful ingredients. This is what makes it so handy: you don’t need anything special to take Imedeen. I just take two tablets first thing in the morning, every day. It takes a month or so to notice any reaction, I’ve been told, and that was true with me. But it’s the easiest thing in the world, done in a second.
You know I’ve always admired the skin of Japanese women (Farida is Indian— Ed.). So smooth and silky. Then it occurred to me that most of their diet comes from the sea. Japan has more fish and marine products in their diet probably than any other nationality. And the Chinese, too. And look at the lovely skin of most Chinese women! That’s when I put two-and-two together and realized that the composition of Imedeen is similar.
Cork: Great for the skin, I understand. Anything else?
Farida: My hair! You know, I’ve been a professional model nearly all my adult life, beginning in school days. Think of the countless hours I must spend under a hair dryer! My hair was gradually turning brownish, from its natural black. Too much burning, I guess. Since taking Imedeen, my hair not only has returned to its natural blackness, but also has become less dry and brittle. It’s easier to manage and, I’m told, looks better than ever.
And my nails, too. By necessity—and by preference— I’ve used nail polish for decades. All the time. Consequently, when the polish was removed, my natural nails were also becoming an unattractive brown. So I had to keep polish on at all times. In the past six or eight months, I’ve noticed the natural pink shade has returned to my fingernails. And they’re more supple. It’s got to be Imadeen.
Cork: I suppose I’m a cynic, but it sounds too good to be true.
Farida: I know what you mean. But I’ve done a lot of study about this product and read a lot of literature. Including, strangely enough, a magazine story that headlined exactly that: Too Good to Be True? But in Saga magazine, Elle, Cosmopolitan and countless newspaper accounts—including The Japan Times!— evidence has been overwhelming that this product actually does precisely what it claims it will. And the interesting thing is, it also works just as efficiently on men.
Apparently, it works from within, returning a degree of thickness to the skin from the inside. That’s what causes wrinkles, I’ve learned: with ageing, the skin becomes thinner, resulting in crinkling of the outer skin. A Helsinki dermatologist named Allan Lassus conducted a study of 30 women with sun-damaged skin. The women in the control group, with a mean age of 50, had the skin elasticity and thickness comparable to the non-sun-damaged skin of 71-year-old women. After 90 days of treatment with Imedeen, the skin elasticity and thickness values compared to women aged 21-31. This report was published in the prestigious Journal of International Medical Research, Cambridge, England, in 1991. Oh yes, I am sold on this Imadeen.
Cork: Now that Imedeen is available in Japan, maybe you can tell us exactly how one takes the supplement.
Farida: Imadeen comes in boxes of 60 tablets, sufficient for a month, since you’re supposed to take two each morning— with “spring water,” they say. And that’s it; simple as can be. I’m reconciled to taking Imedeen for a long, long time; maybe forever. And not just because I’m a model; anyone sould indulge themselves, take care of their appearance and their sense of well-being. Some say that after a period of time, you can reduce the intake to one tablet a day. I did that for a while, then went back to two a day. I found that best for me. After all, it’s just like eating. We’ve got to eat, so supplementing your diet with proteins and seafood products can only be beneficial.
Cork: Thanks, Farida. I’m sure our readers will take note.
(Note: More information can obtained from Pair Marketing, Kurakusu Heim Roppongi Bldg., #203, 4-15 Roppongi 3-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106; tel: 3405-8409; fax: 3405-7312. Boxes of 60 Imadeen tablets cost ¥10,000.)
