- 7/5/2025
The death of Shefali Jariwala has sparked a renewed debate around the use of anti-ageing products, widely used by individuals seeking a more youthful appearance. Her passing has raised concerns about the potential complications and risks associated with these products and treatments.
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00:00hello and welcome to a brand new episode of head 360 well the week gone by has seen so much
00:21conversation around the obsession with anti-aging products that are to keep you looking younger
00:27defying age and even perhaps compromising with your health shifali zariwala's death and the possible
00:34link with anti-aging medicines is being analyzed at this incident has thrown up a whole lot of
00:41questions on the industry of anti-aging and what it is doing to all of us but exploring that up
00:48ahead on the show i'm sneha murdani you're watching healthy 16.
00:57so
01:15obsession with anti-aging is now fairly common amongst the general population regular people
01:21are getting botox done like one gets waxing done it's actually so common now but a lot of this has
01:28got to do with celebrities normalizing cosmetic procedures also botox the use of glutathione
01:35fillers and much more this report delves into how celebrities have popularized anti-aging treatments
01:43i don't feel the need to justify why i want to look a certain way for myself then they said did you get
01:50fillers yeah i did in the spotlight of hollywood and bollywood where youth is often equated with relevance
01:58many celebrities have turned to botox fillers and anti-aging treatments in a relentless pursuit to
02:05preserve their looks with intense industry pressure and constant public scrutiny maintaining a flawless
02:12youthful appearance has become more than a personal choice it's often a career necessity
02:19while some stars embrace their enhancements openly others quietly confirm to unrealistic beauty
02:26standards creating a cycle where natural aging feels taboo from frozen expressions to unnaturally plumped
02:35features the pressure to look forever young overshadows the acceptance of natural aging the anti-aging
02:43fixation among celebrities reflected deeper anxiety within the entertainment industry where growing older
02:51is often seen as growing irrelevant from hollywood to bollywood stars are increasingly turning to buttocks
02:59fillers skin tightening treatments and even biohacking in an effort to defy time but does this obsession
03:08not only distort public perception of beauty but also raise questions about authenticity self-worth and
03:16the high cost of perfection in an image driven world
03:23and joining me right now is dr viril desai cosmetic and plastic surgeon from mumbai's desai hospital
03:29thank you so much for your time dr desai i want to begin by asking you about anti-aging products that
03:35celebrities have popularized in a way that even regular people are getting drawn towards it anti-aging
03:42products and treatments have become just so common among the masses as well isn't it what role do
03:48celebrities dr desai have had to play with normalizing the use of these products so anti-aging is a very
03:57wide terminology there are a lot of products which are taken orally some are taken by iv drips some are
04:04taken topically and some are also taken you know by iv infusions and topical applications right so these
04:14common products are mostly vitamins like vitamin c vitamin a vitamin d b12 complex amino acids well
04:23anti-aging industry has been a very large industry globally and also in india from a very very long time
04:30it's one of the most rapidly growing industries as you meet people uh as day by day as people are
04:37more aware of internet and social media they want to look good feel good so that's why people are
04:42gymming more they're taking care of their body more they're more healthier they're eating well
04:46they're eating healthy and similarly of course people use a lot of perfumes makeups uh so many other
04:52kind of products similarly they also are looking more to age gracefully or anti-aging or look
04:59better look younger i i would say actually look better rather than looking younger and of course
05:04take care of certain issues which occur with aging like wrinkles like loss of collagen poor skin
05:11texture loss of moisture pigmentation which happens with aging and so many other factors so yes uh it's
05:18it's basically not about celebrities but generalized awareness which is increased because of social media
05:23and internet revolution right dr viril desai i appreciate your time here thank you so much for
05:29joining in well there also is the world of b-town celebrities and a dozen plus hollywood celebrities
05:36who vowed never to go in for anti-aging treatments who promise to age gracefully and embrace aging
05:42let's tell you more about those celebrities who are doing things a little differently
05:53in an industry obsessed with youth and perfection a few stars are rewriting the script
06:01choosing wrinkles over needles grace over glam and real over retouched
06:08here's a look at indian celebrities who've said no to botox surgery and anti-aging supplements and yes to
06:21aging with authenticity recently actress malika sharawat took to social media with a powerful message
06:31in a candid instagram video she appeared without makeup
06:35or filters speaking openly about embracing natural beauty
06:42there is no filter that i'm using there is no makeup that i've put on i haven't even brushed my hair
06:48yet this is the first thing i'm doing i'm sharing this video with you so we all together can say no to botox
06:56no to artificial cosmetic fillers and yes to life yes to a healthy way of living
07:05it's a healthy way of living in the world
07:07meanwhile kareena kapoor khan has also chosen transparency over trend speaking at celebrity
07:13nutritionist rujuta the waker's book launch kareena said she's against botox injections
07:20instead she believes in self-preservation natural therapies and letting age take its course
07:27self-belief is everything you know however you think however you feel it's not about the way i look
07:36it's about the way i feel and that's what for me aging and life is strength training walking a little
07:42you know my surya namaskars doing my little work on my own rather than
07:49i'm spending time doing all of this rather than you know skin treatments and botox
07:58but kareena and malika aren't alone tabu still radiant in her 50s is known for her grace
08:06and glow without ever turning to fillers her mantra yoga clean living and self-acceptance
08:14actor and activist nandita das has long rejected both fairness creams and anti-aging pressure
08:22she champions natural beauty on and off the screen
08:31konkunas and sharma known for her bold performances wears her age with pride her belief beauty is about
08:39truth not transformation veteran actress ratna patik shah proudly flaunts her silver strands and speaks
08:47out against the pressure to look young
08:55in a world of filters and fillers these women are keeping it real reminding us that age isn't a flaw
09:03it's a story worth wearing on your skin their message aging isn't something to fight it's something
09:10to own a trend where people particularly young adults and teens see cosmetic surgeries to resemble
09:20their filtered selfies from social media apps like snapchat does it sound unbelievable well it's true
09:28this is driven by the constant exposure to unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by filters that alter
09:36facial features leading to a desire to replicate these digitally enhanced appearances in real life
09:44here's more imagine a situation where a person stops feeling happy about themselves and they're
09:50unhappy all the time because of the way they look because they're so used to seeing themselves
09:57in filters essentially they become habituated to see themselves in filters well these filters create
10:03a version of you which is not real perfect skin glass like big pouty lips red lips flush cheeks perfect
10:12features light colored eyes but is that your natural self that is not your natural self what happens as a
10:19result is that you start hating your natural self
10:32some people even consider getting cosmetic surgery to look like their filtered selfies
10:36that ladies and gentlemen is snapchat dysmorphia a growing issue especially among young users and it is truly worrisome
10:49getting even more potent as virtual beauty becomes the new normal
10:53doctors say they're seeing a surge in young patients asking for procedures not to correct real flaws but to match their filtered photos
11:05experts want this could lead to deeper mental health issues like low self-esteem anxiety and even depression
11:14the pressure to look perfect online is making people question their natural selves offline and in a world where
11:20face filters are just a swipe away the real danger is forgetting that authenticity doesn't come with an edit button
11:27well as you scroll endlessly through these curated feeds and perfect filters that make you look
11:37like you don't look like the question to us right now is this
11:41really a moment where we are losing touch with reality
11:47and dr dipali bardwaj senior dermatologist elska clinics and max hospital in delhi sakit is now joining us
11:55thank you for connecting you know i want to begin by asking you a little about snapchat dysmorphia
12:01you know it's so common nowadays and it it really can be very serious uh to many young people in your
12:09opinion how problematic do you find snapchat dysmorphia dr partwaj uh well sneha it's the saddest thing is
12:18that that's when i came to know there is something called snapchat this is the worst times that we are living in
12:23where the youngsters are so damn influenced by these filters by these pictures of bollywood
12:30themselves with filters all over snapchat instagram and they see all these movies and you know they
12:36are making reels it's going crazy you know how we read in your media all the time where people are dying
12:43taking selfies and trust me i get a lot of young patients who bring photographs of themselves in
12:49filters and they're ready to do anything they're ready to spend anything to look like that in real
12:54which is impossible interestingly uh maybe i was a little behind i did not know that they are it is
12:59their filters you know like few years ago five years ago patients used to fool us they used to show us
13:04the picture and they used to say this is themselves only few years ago and doc now my blush is gone my
13:09cheek has come down so as a dermatologist i used to start taking academic interest and trying to release
13:15and give them that kind of result but then i realized that they were themselves in filters
13:19so you know this is how these youngsters have their mind very uh you know tricky and they are uh
13:25fooling the doctors also so we doctors also need to be alert there are a lot of filters and there
13:30are a lot of things with which now i think everybody knows that how ai is operating but uh you know five
13:35years ago it was new and uh but i feel the mental psyche of such people really needs to be cancelled
13:42it's through your media they should realize that everybody is very pretty beauty is one color
13:48dr samir farik chairperson of the mental health program in fortis hospital is now joining us thank
13:53you dr farik talk to us about the role that social media snapchat filters play in making people so
14:01under confident and unsure about themselves you know how does this affect their mental health and cause
14:07body image issues i think one needs to understand this from the context of how does social pressures
14:19influence a young mind especially when you constantly get feedback that this is the right look
14:27this is the right way to look this is how you should be so that should be creates a conformity pressure
14:34and it may affect you in terms of how you look at your own self your body image your self-esteem your
14:42self-concepts and sometimes when you start giving more value to these external vectors you may start
14:49feeling inferior or less about you that's really dangerous i mean it may not look uh you know dangerous
14:56or what is some at the uh at the first glance but it just perpetuates a mindset that you need to look a
15:03certain way you need to conform to a certain standard and that is absolutely terrible dr parik
15:08thanking you for your inputs your time here a strong and important distinction has to be made
15:15anti-aging medicines by itself are not inherently dangerous what's risky is it's misused by unqualified
15:23practitioners the problem lies with unlicensed or unregulated providers in anti-aging medicines when
15:30grounded in science ethics and clinical oversight can be a helpful tool for wellness and longevity
15:38here's how you can do this right
15:46from capsules to cosmetic procedures the anti-aging industry is experiencing a rapid surge but behind
15:53the promise of flawless skin lies serious health risks as more people turn to supplements injectables
16:00and off-label treatments in pursuit of youth medical experts are sounding the alarm
16:06what was once the beauty secrets of celebrities anti-aging treatments like collagen boosters
16:12glutathione shots prp therapy and hormone supplements is now easily accessible to the general public
16:19these methods claim to slow signs of aging but when misused can pose serious dangers the most pressing
16:27concern self-medication health professionals strongly advise against using such products without proper
16:34medical guidance so what precautions should you take before trying any anti-aging medicines
16:40always consult a certified dermatologist avoid online purchases without prescription get blood tests
16:50and allergy checks done do not mix supplements without doctor's advice pregnant or breastfeeding
16:57women should avoid medicines as should those with chronic kidney or heart disease
17:03even natural sounding remedies like glutathione or collagen peptides can clash with existing medications
17:11especially for individuals with conditions like diabetes thyroid disorders or heart problems
17:17many assume that natural means safe but that's a myth even vitamins when overused can have toxic effects
17:25aging is a biological process and while it's tempting to chase youth
17:30one should focus on healthy aging over harmful shortcuts
17:37senior hair transplant surgeon dr arika bansal from eugenics clinics is now joining us thank you so much
17:43dr bansal you know every now and then we hear and we see you know news items and it's absolutely depressing
17:51of just so many people who have undergone hair transplants and it's gone wrong people have died very
17:58recently in khanpur as a hair transplant surgeon what would be your word of advice to people
18:04even running to salons really to get these you know cosmetic procedures that need to be done
18:10you know in operation theater and not in a salon
18:15patients general health should be screened before the surgery this is a cosmetic surgery we can't afford
18:21a single morbidity or mortality due to the procedure because people are doing
18:26it for enhancing their look it's an elective procedure it's not something uh which is uh saving
18:33their life or they are uh they are in a near dying situation so we cannot afford to have any kind of miss in
18:41that situation well at least check for the certification is so important you know you just can't
18:47do it in a regular salon uh you know talk to us dr bansal about what do you think of younger people
18:53you know who've hardly had hair loss and they're wanting to go in for transplants is this not body
18:59dysmorphia as well body dysmorphia is a little new and it is increasing day by day because everybody
19:07tends to have a personal instagram facebook account and everybody is showcasing their life their
19:13complete uh life activities through that so uh an obsession with appearance has increased in the
19:20younger generation which has led to an increased incidence of body dysmorphic disorder but not all
19:27cases of young people coming for a hair transplant have body dysmorphic disorder some people do genuinely
19:34have baldness which requires surgery only all right dr bansal i'm going to thank you for joining in
19:42sharing a point of view with us that some people for medical reasons do go in for hair transplants
19:48but other than that obsession to look you know in a certain way is certainly problematic
19:55and dr ishan said this i've facial plastic surgeon and founder of the face center is now joining us
20:01thank you so much for your time i want to begin by asking you anti-aging medicines are not without
20:07side effects you know at this point in time i'd want for you really to put the focus on what the
20:14potential dangers really are patients need to be told about the potential misuse of these medicines as
20:21well isn't it uh you're so right sneha because you know this anti-aging and uh aesthetic medicine industry
20:29is um you know it's a booming industry uh but there are a lot of supplements which are part of
20:35this industry which actually don't have any clinical trials uh proper research behind them
20:42and often there is no standardized dosage of how long these medicines should be taken
20:47what are the both the short term and the long-term risks and often many of these uh medicines are available
20:55at pharmacies and sometimes without a prescription people are self-medicating themselves and ending
21:00up with all kinds of side effects so you know we need to be very careful with what we are uh as
21:05doctors prescribing to our patients at the same time the patient should also be aware that you know
21:11without a prescription and without proper knowledge just to chase this kind of youthful face or youthful
21:16appearance uh you can't compromise your health i believe in something that supplements should be
21:22given when a person is deficient in a particular uh particular aspect so for example if you're
21:29deficient in iron you give iron supplements if you're deficient in vitamin b12 or folic acid
21:34you give supplements for the same simply giving supplements for long duration you know some
21:39like supplements which don't have much research behind them is a very harmful uh you know practice i feel
21:45it can lead to all kinds of problems and also if you give a particular supplement even the good ones
21:50like for example let's say you give an iron supplement or a vitamin d supplement it should
21:54be taken for the time limit that has been prescribed by the doctor you know if it's a six-week course then
21:59you take it for six weeks you don't indefinitely take it because there's always a risk of you know too
22:04much like too much of a supplement can lead to toxicity all right it's very important and also doctors
22:12their role also becomes important in telling the patient what the possible side effects could be
22:17dr sarthas i am going to thank you for your time here appreciate uh you're joining us with those
22:22very important inputs and that light that you throw on the fact that supplements can't be forever you
22:29need to go back to your doctor and check if they should be continuing with those medications or not
22:35absolutely thank you so much thank you and india is moving steadily toward ensuring universal health
22:42coverage for all its citizens but in that journey one crucial area often goes unnoticed eye care people
22:50regularly get checkups for conditions like diabetes or heart health but when it comes to their eyes
22:56care is often delayed until the problem becomes serious and by then treatment is harder sometimes
23:03irreversible one growing concern is the rise of myopia especially in children due to increase screen time
23:10and reduce outdoor activity according to an aim study cases of childhood myopia have tripled in the
23:17last 10 to 15 years in urban india one in every four children now wear glasses to talk about these
23:24growing challenges and the solutions available we're joined by dr ashwin agarwal chief clinical officer
23:31at dr agarwal's eye hospital thank you so much for your time here sir i want to begin by asking you
23:38the rise in myopia among children and increase in eye related issues especially in urban areas has
23:45become a growing concern especially in urban india could you help us understand what's driving this
23:51trend and our parents can take early steps to prevent or manage it excellent question uh sneha and thank you
24:00for having me so i'll tell you first the incidence of myopia 1999 we had four percent of india that was myopic
24:072019 we had 21 that was myopic in 2025 we have about 24 25 percent myopic by 2030 we're going to reach
24:17where 30 percent by 2040 we're going to reach 40 percent and close to 48 percent in 2050 so that's a
24:25jump of myopia at exponential levels there are two options we have one is prevention one is cure
24:31prevention is there are new technologies that are now coming in ortho key and others which are going
24:37to help us in the future to prevent myopia in the kids that have not yet got myopia treatment options
24:43are smile lasik and other refractive surgeries that can help us in uh treating myopia that patients who
24:51already got myopic now people think of this as a cosmetic procedure it's not because myopic patients are
24:57wearing glasses there is like crutches to the eyes they cannot do anything without those glasses it's
25:02basically they're dependent on the glasses what we're doing with refractive surgery is removing
25:07glasses for life uh this are the two basic ways that we can address this issue of myopia over the period
25:15of 2025 to 2050. you know dr agarwal could you share some key preventive checks and measures people
25:22should be following to maintain good eye health eye care of course we know has evolved significantly
25:28over the years in terms of technology and diagnosis and the information you share will of course will
25:33be very important fantastic thank you so much here i would directly like to highlight uh sneha that we
25:41actually want to anybody above the age of 40 there are three conditions that i really want to highlight
25:47cataract glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy these are three conditions that can be quite
25:53significant and quite debilitating when it comes to vision uh cataract we all know is an age-related
26:00condition where the lens goes cloudy uh glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy are chronic conditions glaucoma
26:07is also known to be a silent killer because all symptoms are missing in the beginning and it suddenly
26:11shows up at the end with a tubular vision only the peripheral vision is completely lost so the one way
26:18that i would definitely recommend in all of these three conditions is to have an annual checkup above
26:24the age of 40 between the ages of 20 to 40 at least twice at least two every two years one eye checkup
26:32to be done this would really help the uh ophthalmologist community to diagnose with all the sophisticated
26:39latest equipment that is and also to treat early if we catch this early we're able to intervene and
26:47stop this from you know progressing this is my humble request to all viewers so with so many indians
26:55living with chronic conditions like diabetes how important is regular eye screening and what role
27:01does lifestyle really play in conditions like diabetic retinopathy or for cataract
27:08fantastic thank you so much for this question
27:11in diabetic retinopathy lifestyle plays a huge role
27:15from the food we eat from the stress levels that we manage from the exposure that we have towards
27:22awareness and uh healthcare or wellness regime from our workout regime to our diet what we're doing
27:29everything counts when it comes to diabetic retinopathy and it's not something that can be just ascertained
27:36to a particular phase of one year or two years it's a chronic condition and it happens over a period of time
27:4210 to 15 years it takes for diabetes to impact the vision or eye in terms of cataract it's a pure and
27:50simple age-related condition but yes exposure to sunlight has a direct impact so i see a lot of
27:57patients who are young and exposed to sunlight for example a police cop sitting or standing in the traffic
28:04light for a long time at the age of 38 or 37 comes to me with cataract versus a sedentary lifestyle
28:11person when sitting in the back of a desk would come to me only at 45 50. so this is the difference
28:16between uh how cataract impacts and how exposure uh impacts this what i would definitely recommend
28:23like i did in the previous one was an annual checkup after the age of 40 is a must sometimes if you have
28:30cataract if you have the glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy go twice a year for a checkup this is my
28:37recommendation dr agarwal how much has increased digital exposure contributed to rising eye
28:44problems today and what would your advice be to our viewers especially the younger generation on
28:50how they can keep a check and make responsible choices for better eye health okay this is excellent
28:57and i probably will give some two or three really good tips if they follow it religiously it would help
29:04them in the long run uh one is a 20 20 20 rule it's a very simple rule actually uh it's difficult to do
29:12or easier said than done but basically the aspect is 20 for every 20 minutes 20 feet away for 20 seconds
29:24just look don't look at the monitor don't look at the screen just look away every 20 minutes which
29:31you're working on your laptop or you're seeing mindless scrolling you're doing any of that
29:35for every 20 minutes 20 feet away for 20 seconds this is one aspect the second aspect i would definitely
29:42say is to cup your hands you know just cup your hands and close your eyes when you are working on
29:49long hours you know it professionals do this for 10 12 hours straight knocking down a lot of uh computer
29:55work and this can be very straining to the eyes because you will definitely end up with dryness
30:01over a period of time that dryness can be avoided rather than treated this is where the cupping rule
30:07really helps in uh avoiding that and the third aspect which i would definitely recommend is to you
30:14know be conscious about the amount of time that you're spending on these devices uh try and do outdoor
30:21activities if you're younger uh when if and i obviously as being a professional ourselves we know
30:28the importance of devices we know what's happening with the ai world so try and find a balance between
30:34this is what i would recommend to everybody who's viewing this from a digital eye strain perspective
30:41well thank you so much for these valuable insights into eye care dr agarwal i'm sure our viewers will
30:47benefit immensely from this conversation and will hopefully be encouraged to prioritize their eye
30:53health with regular checkups and balanced lifestyle choices thanks a lot sneha thanks a lot for having
31:00me bye well that brings us to the end of this edition of health 360 we hope you enjoyed watching the show
31:06as much as we did putting it together for you you can catch all of these reports and much more up on our
31:11website that's indiatoday.in twitter which is x instagram facebook youtube and also facebook our reports are
31:19carried there as well our hashtag is healthy 60 health 360 plus do not forget to like subscribe and share
31:27thank you so much for watching take very good care of yourself be safe bye now
31:41thank you
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