Something I think may prove really important to the war on aging is the role of bona fide anti-aging cosmetic procedures, when they become available. Adhering to the mindset that aging is a disease, then one symptom of that disease is that it disfigures us. Contrary therefore to kneejerk negative assumptions about immature vanity, concern over changes to one's physical appearance due to aging is perfectly reasonable. Just as we seek to mitigate the stigmatizing aesthetic manifestations of other diseases or injuries so as to improve quality of life, so too is the appearance of aging worthy of being treated by genuine medicine.
Sadly, when I try to research this subject all I find is a lot of hokum and marketing. The internet is crawling with cosmetic anti aging snake oil. While this certainly shows there's a market for the real thing, it doesn't make it easy to learn about real progress.
Can anyone point me towards something solid on this subject. Is there any real progress? Is the cosmetic industry funding worthwhile research, or are they content to keep peddling the same old crap? They've got the money. It seems like they could have such an interest.
Anyway I'd love to be pointed toward some good reading on this or start a discussion of the subject. In addition to the initial benefits of such procedures in terms of assisting self esteem, countering stigma and improving quality of life, I think success in this area would change the way people think about aging in general. If people above a certain age are able to look like they're in their early twenties, then society would be forced to confront the fact that aging on the whole is a kind of sickness amenable to intervention and meriting a cure. A persons age would no longer be able to define them socially. We'd all just be whoever we are...
Ben
