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The Embrace of Aging

‘Anti-Aging’……….we have all heard the term and experienced its use associated with creams, potions, diets, supplements, lifestyles, workouts, and on and on and on.   This is especially pervasive in our aesthetic or cosmetic profession.  But don’t worry, wanting to hold on to or regain your natural youthful characteristics and look younger is not just mere vanity but a basic and hardwired human characteristic ingrained by many thousands of years of evolution.  Looking younger and more attractive is essential to preservation of the species and thus a powerful biological drive and an essential part of our humanness.

But the use of the term ‘anti-aging’ would imply that any of these heavily promoted products or options would somehow potentially stop or at least slow down the aging process…..at least that’s what the marketers would like you to believe.

What they don’t want you to know, and what science clearly has proven, is that biological aging is an inevitable process that cannot be stopped……at least not yet.   None of the ‘anti-aging’ products, treatments or services currently available have ever been proven to affect or slow the biological process of human aging.  On the other hand, the  good news is that the signs or manifestations of aging can certainly be reduced or improved as has been credibly proven in many peer reviewed and respected studies.  Credible and proven aesthetic products and cosmetic procedures performed by appropriately trained professionals can restore natural and balanced youthful features, resulting in tremendous personal satisfaction and confidence for patients of any age.   Just ask any of our evolv patients who have been consistent with their ZO Skin Health programs, and that includes myself!

Since it has been proven consistently that we cannot stop the aging process, what if we changed our attitude toward aging and just embraced it?  What if we ignored the ‘hype’ of the ‘anti-aging’ marketing and focused our energies on living well, taking great care of ourselves, looking our best and just accepting the natural aging process?

I was asked to write an article for Emmy Award winning director Keith Famie’s documentary ‘The Embrace of Aging,’ which was a series aired on PBS several years ago.  In the programs, Keith examined both the female as well as the male perspective on aging gracefully and well.  He also interviewed a number of experts and professionals involved with aging research and in treating the aging population.  So what were the ‘secrets’ to happiness and longevity?  What might allow us to truly embrace our inevitable aging that is proven by the most knowledgeable and experienced scientists who have studied longevity and aging populations around the world?  Actually the answers are not surprising, but here is a summary of their findings and conclusions: