During my work at Skin by Doctor Y, I often find myself reflecting on the way we approach ageing.
‘Is ageing being seen — consciously or unconsciously — as a disease?’
The urgency with which people seek to treat every fine line, every visible sign of time passing, suggests that perhaps it is.
There is often a sense of panic, a need to intervene, to “correct” or “fix” what are, in fact, natural processes.
Coming from a background where I have spent years treating recognised medical conditions, I found myself questioning:
Am I, now, treating ageing as though it were another disease?
It led me to think more deeply about how aesthetic medicine has evolved — and about the mindset we, as practitioners and patients, bring to ageing itself.
In the early days of aesthetic medicine, when Botox and dermal fillers first became mainstream, options were limited.
The primary goal was often clear: to erase every line, every crease, every curve that hinted at ageing.
Perhaps, without consciously realising it, we were trying to cure ageing.
The result was often overfilled, unnatural faces that lost the very essence of natural beauty and expression.
Thankfully, the field has moved forward.
Today, aesthetic medicine recognises that ageing is not something we can — or should — try to halt entirely.
Instead, the goal is to work alongside the ageing process: to maintain health, structure, and resilience, allowing individuals to age as the best and most authentic version of themselves.
After all, skin is not simply a canvas for makeup or a surface to be polished.
It is an organ — as vital as the heart, lungs, or liver.
We exercise to maintain heart health and invest in our physical wellbeing to preserve function and vitality for as long as possible.
Why would the skin deserve any less care and attention?
Some continue to view aesthetic medicine as an indulgence or an act of vanity.
(See our previous article for further reflections on this outdated view.)
In reality, investing in skin health is no different from investing in any other aspect of physical wellbeing.
Through scientifically proven treatments, we support the skin’s structure, promote collagen production, enhance elasticity, and protect against environmental damage.
The aim is not to stop ageing, but to strengthen the skin as it journeys through time — promoting longevity, resilience, and vitality.
This evolution — from chasing youth at any cost to preserving skin health for the long term — marks the true future of aesthetic medicine.
Skin health is integral to overall wellness.
It is not about freezing time, or denying the natural course of life.
It is about embracing ageing with confidence, wisdom, and grace — and giving the skin the tools it needs to reflect how well we care for ourselves.
No, ageing is not a disease.
It is a natural, inevitable process.
But how we care for ourselves during that process — that is where we have agency.
Rather than fighting the inevitable, we can choose to optimise it.
We can invest in ourselves, treat our skin with the respect it deserves, and move through life as the best, healthiest version of who we are.
