Dubai holds the secret to looking young

With life expectancy increasing people are obssessively seeking new treatments and methods to arrest the outward signs of ageing. Figure and beauty-conscious mortals vouch for every anti-ageing supplement - from the mundane anti-wrinkle creams, considered a must-have for 40+ women, to Botox jabs!

With anti-ageing methodology becoming the new mantra, Dubai is all poised to become the anti-ageing hub. Annually, the Dubai Congress on anti-ageing and aesthetics medicine (DCAAAM) attracts more than 500 practitioners, scientists and healthcare professionals from different countries in the world.  

Recently, the American Academy of Anti-Ageing Medicine (A4M) selected Dubai to launch its first hands-on fellowship training programme abroad, after being accredited by the accreditation committee of the Center for Healthcare Planning & Quality (CPQ) of Health Care City.

This raises the question: Why Dubai?

"We have noticed a common trend among Dubai-based practitioners, and that is their well-receptiveness to enhance new methods in their field," explains Servane Colette, international project manager of A4M.

The UAE is an innovative market when it comes to anti-ageing methodology and considered the right place for practitioners to add up to their knowledge, according to observations from A4M.

"The interest in the profession is very large," says Maria Khattar, chief lecturer at the hands on fellowship training and an aesthetic practitioner herself. There are many practitioners who are doing niche activities related to aesthetics and want to extend their practices into the field of anti-ageing.

Indeed, the UAE is packed with aesthetic clinics, where skin, face, body and hair can all be treated to look as if the ageing process has never hit in. "This may also have to do with the fact that many Dubai-based residents have a disposable income. They can afford to pay for the treatments," says Servane.

Anti-ageing treatment is not a cheap option. However, it is a priority for some people, thinks Maria. "You may opt for a fancy bag, while others prefer to look better."

According to Maria, it is never a large part of society that makes use of the option of revering or retarding the aging process. "I think practitioners are targeting a rough 10 per cent of the population in most countries."

But, the anti-ageing field is not in every country as advanced as it is in the US and in Dubai, and thus A4M Dubai sees a good chance of becoming an internationally visited training centre.

"Looking at our applications thus far, we estimate 70 per cent of the students to come from abroad," Servana says.

The international interest in organising hand on training was another reason for A4M to launch its training program in Dubai. "Dubai is an interesting and convenient place for travelers from abroad and a very likely place to be a hub."

Furthermore, the private healthcare sector is predominant in Dubai, and this is always the more fluid sector, explains Servana.

The hands on training program is accredited by the Centre for Healthcare Planning & Quality (CPQ) of Health Care City and authorities  seem to welcome innovation in anti-aging methodologies, says Servane.

When looking at the US market, where A4M first started its activities, anti-ageing treatment is not always happily received. Most often, they are the pharmaceutical companies expressing dissatisfaction with this leg of medical science, Servana explains.

"These companies make profit by providing after care in the form of medicine. They do not like to see that we provide preventive care, that might take away the need of certain medication."

According to Servane and Maria, there is nothing wrong with retarding or reversing the aging process, as it is a possibility for people due to scientific research. "We work to give a natural treatment by hormone replacement, for example. This could lead the human body retard its aging process."

Neither do the ladies expect religion to stand in the way of innovative anti-ageing developments, as anti-ageing treatment does not include invasive treatment. "The results are not lasting, so do not change the human natural course of life."

"We do not prolong the human lifespan. Anti-ageing is the ice on the cake. It is a way to look younger than you actually are," Maria adds.
 

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