You can fight them all you want, any way you want — but one thing is clear: wrinkles are a natural part of aging and sooner or later, they will appear. To be sure, some of us are more prone to wrinkling, while some have skin that seems to stay smooth even into very old age.

During the last several months, or some reason my Facebook page has been filled with all kinds of cures for wrinkles. I wonder if they have looked at my photo and figure I need a cure. One in particular says a mother has all the skin specialists crying because she has discovered how to do away with wrinkles using one simple little trick.

They use all kinds of gimmicks to get you to go to the page and see what the trick may be. The photo of an egg or a lemon, suggests it really is simple, but ultimately it is “simply” using two different skin creams – which they just happen to sell. (I’ll admit it! I had to see!) I’ll give them credit – they will send you a small supply to try with just charges for packaging and handling. May work, may not.

Most of us would prefer not to have wrinkles, particularly the facial type. I don’t mind most little wrinkles, but I find those starting to come around the mouth particularly offensive.

My mom always said the best way to avoid wrinkles is carry a little extra weight as a little extra fat will “smooth out the wrinkles.”  I also think about the hint to use hemorrhoid cream around the eyes to firm up sagging skin. Haven’t tried it but I know some who have and say it works.

The Internet is a most interesting place and as we have found homemade remedies there lately for most everything, I thought I would give it a try for homemade wrinkle treatments. Turns out some remedies are as close as your kitchen!

Try at your own risk; I haven’t tried any of them. If you want more details, you’ll have to go on the Internet.

Coconut oil, beet and carrot juice: Coconut oil rebuilds skin tissue and can be used on the skin and/or taken internally. Using a little carrot and beet juice on the skin is quite powerful. Carrot juice has Vitamin A and beets repair DNA. You can use both on the skin. Using them with coconut oil increases the benefit of both.

You’ll only need a tablespoon or two of these juices each time and you can drink what you don’t use. Leave on the skin for about 10 minutes, then rinse off. Follow up by removing, either with a washcloth or some pineapple juice. You can mix a little pineapple juice with coconut oil or olive oil and rub it in. After rinsing, apply a little coconut or olive oil to the skin.

Bananas: Bananas and their peel have been used for centuries to help with many skin conditions, including acne, wrinkles, warts, psoriasis and poison ivy.

Mash a banana until it has a creamy texture and apply it to your entire face; leave it on for 30 minutes. Rinse it off and you are done.

Papayas: Wash and peel 1 small papaya; remove seeds and cut into small pieces.  Add 1 Tbsp. milk and process on medium speed in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Scrape the sides of blender and process another 10 seconds. You can store unused portion in refrigerator up to 12 hours. Spread the mixture over face, forehead and neck, gently massaging into wrinkles. Let dry completely then rinse and pat dry. Apply moisturizer.

Repeat three times a week.

Green apples and green grapes: If you don’t have a papaya, try using a green apple or 10 to 20 seedless green grapes instead, although they may not work as well as papaya. It may take a while before improvement is noted, but keep at it – eventually any good treatment to your skin will pay off.

  Both men and women are concerned about wrinkles, and some remedies are quite costly. Whether you want to go to the trouble of making these kitchen remedies or buying something already made up and packaged in a jar at your local drug store is up to you.

 Just remember – don’t despair if you have wrinkles and gray hair.

One of the reasons we get gray hair as we age is to soften the look of all those wrinkles! Be thankful we are here enough years to get wrinkles and gray hair!

Retired Lifestyle Editor Bob Ann Breland, a resident of Pine, writes a weekly column and may be contacted at bobann_b@ yahoo. com.