SUNITI Radhakrishnan, 37, an aviation consultant, had a problem. She looked far older than her age. A perfect body but an imperfect face with sagging skin, bags under her eyes and premature wrinkles. Cosmetic surgery seemed a scary prospect and normal workouts were of little help. Today, she's had a facelift, looks younger, feels better—all this the non-surgical way.
There's a longevity revolution under way. Or call it Youthanasia. And the trailblazers are not the old but the young, determined to put up a fight against aging. It's not enough to feel young anymore. The New Age buzzword: look young. Stay beautiful. And flick back the metabolic switch deep inside to reprogramme and reverse the process of aging. While the Think Thin and Feel Fit wave is building up to a tidal surge, there is a growing awareness that one of the first areas where signs of aging scream loudest is the face. Followed by the rest of the body. Cosmetic surgery offers the conventional answer but costs are prohibitive and the instances of irreversible side effects have put a big question mark on the efficacy of the treatment. Enter isometric therapy, the non-surgical way to reverse the body clock a good few years.
Says Rita Shankar Seth of Brooke's Clinic in Delhi's Holy Angels Hospital: "It's basically the Isogei machine that through a set of programmes decides how far the signs of aging can be reversed. It analyses the facial structure—the condition of the muscles, the level of fat, the rate of sagging and wrinkling and percentage of moisture retention. It's very popular in the US and Europe and our machines are all imported. The non-surgical facelift programme is a new concept here but it's catching on." Dr Jaishree Manchanda of the Berkowits chain which has clinics in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, agrees: "With age the facial muscles lose flexibility. We tone and reactivate them, firming up the facial structure."
While regular physical exercises have proved to be the panacea to stave off rapid aging and related diseases, how does one exercise the face? Facial muscles atrophy or become slack due to lack of use and gravitational pull, fat deposits increase, dropping levels of moisture lead to dryness and wrinkling of the skin and gradually one begins to look old. The Isogei machine uses electric microcurrents to stimulate sagging muscles. Wrinkles soften and double chins shrink with the burning of fat cells as two metal rods gently massage the skin. The current used is extremely low and there's no tingling.
By massaging the facial muscles using isometric contractions, programmed according to requirement, the lymph drainage system is stimulated by introducing a fresh supply of blood to the cells. As this removes toxins and increases the basal metabolic rate, muscles spring back to original shape and size. And according to Seth, at 40 you can begin to look a good 10 years younger. The treatment applies to the buttocks and breasts as well and, with increased blood circulation, hair follicles too can be reactivated to check balding. In some cases, says Seth, even eyesight improves.
The Isogei machine is credited with a success rate of 30 to 40 per cent; and after an average of 10 sittings, each lasting about 45 minutes, the 'patient' is advised to 'maintain' the treatment once a month at a cost of about Rs 600. Says Seth: "Our rates do not compare with those abroad. There are clinics in the UK which charge up to £800 for the same treatment." Depending on the state of the muscles, one may need anything from 10 to 30 sittings. Isometric therapy consultants claim that even without 'maintenance' sittings, the Isogei effect will last for three to four years before the skin starts to slacken again.
The concept of aging gracefully has today been turned on its head. Accepting your age and allowing the grey to show or brushing off wrinkles as laughter lines all add up to aging disgracefully. Says Ashok Chopra: "I decided to go in for it because I wanted to look better. I don't have a problem with the rest of my body. But my face was showing signs of aging and I definitely had a double chin. I'm into show-biz and it's better to do it before than after."
Succinctly put. But aging is not a singular process. We age biologically, psychologically and sociologically and the aging experience is determined by the unique interaction between these various clocks. Says Dr Gurcharan Singh, physician and founder president of the Yoga Natural Health Education Society: "This kind of machine-driven local treatment can only be temporary. One has to treat the body and mind as a whole or, after a while, the 'claimed' anti-aging process will be reversed again." Professor Vinod Kumar of the Department of Medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a specialist in geriatrics, agrees that active muscles are the secret to health, longevity and youth, but declines comment on the Isogei effect. "These machines are totally out of our domain," he says. "We are concerned with medicine and these machines are for beauty par-lours. They may have been tested scientifically abroad but regarding their efficacy, I have no idea."
So with the facial therapy does one end up with a young face trapped in an old body? No, says Manchanda. "People are aware that it's not only looking good or feeling young that's important. Reversing the aging process has to come about in a healthy way." Which means that along with facial rejuvenation, therapists advise body lifts along with healthy diets. And the machine comes in handy again, especially for people who lack the motivation to exercise. But, points out Seth: "Our clients who are generally in the 35-55 age group are more concerned with the face than any other part of the body. They feel they can tackle the rest on their own."
However, it's clear that it's not only the middle-aged who are concerned. Recently, Seth treated a 19-year-old girl who felt she looked 25, and the awareness is spreading. Says Neena Gulnajani of the Berkowits Juhu centre in Mumbai: "This treatment is preferred over liposuction (a surgical procedure) because it leaves no scars and there's no danger of infection which can sometimes prove fatal. The Isogei effect is visible immediately after the first session itself and we have clients between the age group of six to 85 years. The former had an obesity problem and the latter wanted her wrinkles ironed out."
For Ajay Kapoor, his middle-class upbringing had in no way prepared him for the New Age pursuit of youth. But today he does not want to be left behind. And though the therapy could cost anywhere between Rs 6,500 and Rs 10,000, he's willing to pay the price for a young future. Agrees Suniti Radhakrishnan, who is very happy with the results: "Money should not be a deterrent in the way of looks. Everyone should do it, but from people who know the technique."
And understand the body systems. Muscles and blood circulation hold the key to retaining that bounce in the step. While cells are programmed to age, muscles never age. They go through wear and tear. Science till now has not been able to isolate the factors responsible for the onset of aging. But has been able to slow it down. While alternative systems like yoga and its various branches have all along emphasised that the key to immortality lies in the cleansing and disciplining of the mind and body, the gerontophobic generation of today is looking for quick results. The proliferation of anti-aging drugs and facial creams tell their own tale. And the perception that physical fitness alone can make one look younger is undergoing a sea change. And as the ever elusive search for a fountain of youth continues, those with Isogei machines are laughing all the way to the bank.
(Some names have been changed to protect identity.)
