The Medicine Of the Future

By Dima Ali, MD

What does “anti-aging” mean anyway? Can you really turn back the hands of time through aesthetic or even medical intervention? The answer is “yes” or “no” depending on whom you ask. Due to exponentially increasing consumer demand that has fueled extraordinary technological growth, many spas and medical facilities are now touting “anti-aging” benefits.

But are they really reversing the aging process, or simply mitigating damage that has accumulated over a lifetime? Whatever the answer, there is no doubt that people are looking much younger these days, thanks in part to a specialized group of medical and spa professionals who are willing to wage a good fight.

Anti-aging is definitely a buzz term, and just like anything that piques the interest of consumers, companies are taking this term and marketing it in different ways. In truth, anti-aging is meant to treat the consequences of aging. Whether patients are being treated at an aesthetic or medical level, the goal should always be to help them lead the healthiest life possible.

This includes addressing their skin, the largest organ of the body, to make it healthier as well as helping them live a vigorous life well into advanced age. Some physicians focus on the aesthetic aspects of aging or rejuvenation, and some focus on the medical or preventive aspects.

Whatever the focus, anti-aging medicine is based on sound and responsible medical care. It also happens to be one of the fastest-growing medical specialties in the United States.

Every physician takes a slightly different approach to anti-aging therapies. Anti-aging practitioners can focus on prevention of disease by screening for diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol levels, tumor markers and making sure you get that colonoscopy, bone density exam or mammogram on a timely basis.

Anti-aging therapies can also involve screening for hormone deficiencies and prescribing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy in conjunction with antioxidant nutraceuticals.

Being healthy and feeling good on the inside can be coupled with minimally invasive aesthetic procedures such as non-ablative lasers, facial fillers, botox, chemical peels and now, the increasingly popular platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections. Equally important though, is to teach patients how to take care of themselves, reverse bad habits and not just rely on prescriptions to treat states of disease.

What is Anti-Aging Medicine?

It is scientific. Anti-aging diagnostic and treatment practices are supported by scientific evidence and therefore cannot be branded as anecdotal.

It is evidence-based. Anti-aging medicine is based on an orderly process for acquiring data in order to formulate a scientific and objective assessment upon which effective treatment is assigned.

It is well-documented by peer-reviewed journals. As of this writing, the National Library of Medicine hosts more than 3,000 peer-reviewed articles on the subject of anti-aging medicine.