How Do You View The Emerging Field Of Anti-Aging Therapies? Is This Therapeutic Approach Ready Now, Five Years Away, Or A Pipe Dream?

A | WHEN WE THINK OF “ANTIAGING,” it is common to view it in a superficially aesthetic sense as a treatment of aging symptoms (e.g., wrinkle removers, hair treatments). Addressing antiaging at the molecular and genomic levels is much more complex, and while some significant understanding has occurred, effective treatments that can slow down aging are still far off. There has been significant progress in addressing the stigma of getting aesthetic treatments as an important quality-of-life improvement versus being viewed as a vanity act. While aging is a major risk factor for many illnesses, it is not the only factor, and promoting healthy lifestyles as well as feeling and looking confident of one’s appearance are just as important as focusing on antiaging therapies.

SESHA NEERVANNAN, PH.D.,is SVP of pharmaceutical development at Allergan.