The Holistic Treatment That Petra Nemcova Swears By For Vegan Collagen (=Ageless Skin!)

Supermodel Petra Nemcova is seen on high fashion ads for luxury brands, lingeries (La Perla *and* Victoria’s Secret), and the cover of Sports Illustrated, but don’t let the gloss and glamour fool you. She’s also a trailblazing humanitarian who founded the Happy Hearts Fund in 2005, just a year after suffering a devastating personal loss: she and then fiancé Simon Atlee were caught in a tsunami in Thailand following an earthquake in the Indian Ocean in December 2004. Atlee did not survive; Nemcova was only rescued after holding on to the top of a palm tree for 8 hours.

Instead of internalizing that tragedy, Nemcova found a calling in helping the victims of natural disasters. Now her Happy Hearts Fund establishes schools in communities that are struck by disasters, like Nepal and Haiti. This year, following record-breaking hurricanes (Maria, Irma, Harvey…the list goes on) and earthquakes in Mexico, Nemcova was busy at work raising funds and awareness for victims–and will soon be in Florida, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico to rebuild schools there. I don’t know about you, but I find that incredibly inspiring.

Petra in Kathumandu, Nepal, to build a school there following the earthquake

But wait, that’s not all! Petra Nemcova is also an avowed vegan, saying: “I [became] vegan because I’m going green and not eating fish. They say if we keep fishing like we are, there will be no more fish left.” Saaaaaame. Petra, say it once more for all the non-vegans who think “fish are not as bad as meat”!

With all the Peaceful Dumpling-esque passion for philanthropy and vegan diet, it’s not surprising she’s also an avid fan of sustainable fashion. A few of her favorite brands are Level 99 (sustainable jeans made from recycled plastic) and Edun (eco-friendly and also provides well-paying jobs for its artisans in Africa).

You might have noticed, as I have, that Nemcova, 38, boasts an ah-maaazing glow even for a supermodel. Of course, a vegan diet tends to keep you looking radiant and youthful, but even so! The secret to her preternatural beauty isn’t *just* lots of sleep and good genes, fortunately. It’s a bit proactive but also attainable (yay). Ready to find out??

Apparently, her favorite spa day is at the Juhi Center in NYC, where she gets the Facial Rejuvenation Treatment–but it’s not a facial. It’s a full-body acupuncture treatment designed to fix your skin issues by balancing your whole system. For example, if the skin around your mouth is dark, it indicates problems in digestion. The acupuncture is even specifically designed to stimulate the production of collagen (plumps out your cells, provides structure to your face and fills out lines) *and* elastin (provides elasticity and “bounce back”). All-natural, vegan collagen and elastin = the Holy Grail of anti-aging!! (Sorry I’m just a little excited right now).

The founder of the Juhi Center, Juhi Singh, was diagnosed with debilitating ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease at just 16. With Ayurvedic diet and acupuncture, she made a full recovery in 3 months and has since dedicated her life to the practice of alternative medicine. So if you’re in NYC and want to treat anything from aging concerns (ugh yeah me) to chronic illness, try it. I have a history of healing from pretty serious injuries thanks to a few sessions of acupuncture, so I’d be interested to see what Facial Rejuvenation Treatment can do to my laugh lines!

If you want to go all out like Petra Nemcova, combine the acupuncture with a Himalayan salt cave session to draw out toxins from your body. Pure bliss!