Youthfulness a costly American obsession

Costly American obsession? So, what else is new in our me first, ultraconsumer lifestyles? Gigantic gas guzzling SUVs, enormous 5 bedroom houses we can't afford, and now, consuming youth as a product.

Marketing and branding at it's best! And, aren't we a bit guilty of sensationalizing it a bit too MSNBC? Or do you think all those 20 year old singles ads winking at us from the corners of our screens is completely innocent? And what about all those diet pop ups? I don't suppose they contribute anything to this illogical point of view?

Thank you for reporting on this shallow, egotistical tendancy of the human race that you have long ago helped to discover, isolate, study, then promote, market, profit from, and ultimately report on with a slant that it's maybe OK cause everyone is doing it.

You make me want to puke.

Yes that is what I want to do spend $1,000.00+ a month and inject hormones into my body.  Yea right. 

My father lived until he was 93 and died from a stroke, no major sickness in his life.  He never went out of his way to exercise or take any medicines, other than prescribed by a doctor.  Both of my grandfathers lived until their eighties, again no major illnesses.  The common thing shared by all was; no drugs, little alcohol, little smoking, or excessive food.

Live everyday like it is your last, enjoy lifes rides, and forget want anyone else does or thinks.  Enjoy your life and take care of the only body that you have, through moderation.  Except sex, if you want to die happy marry a lady half your age.  She will still be young enough to enjoy you life insurance.......It is working for me......Ha! Ha!

This story reminds me of those people who buy beautiful and very expensive cars, then always have to park at the far edge of the lot to avoid getting it dinged and scratched. If you worry your whole life about maintaining appearances, you miss out on all the other pleasures of life. Being a bit careful of diet and exercise is great, so you can enjoy your later years, but trying to pass for 25 when you are double that is just sad, and doesn't fool anyone. 

Am I the only one that thinks that photo looks like a bad Photoshop job? Maybe that IS him, but the head's too small, the color is different between the head and the body. I've done better looking composites and I'm an amateur. I think it's a con job . . . . . I'd need to see a few more photos before I'd believe it.

Wayne , I agree with you on that photo. No way in the world that is his body. Doesn't anyone want to grow old gracifully? We spend too much time and money on trying to stay young. I get compliments everyday from people who think I'm in my 30's and then they find out I'm 48. Not bad for someone who doesn't take injections or spends thousands trying to stay young. The way society thinks is not for everyone. You can't live forever.

People working hard to fight nature, how sad? There is nothing wrong to get grey hair, become bold, aging is normal, where I come from we STILL respect the elderly. I have seen many women these days trying to stop their periods, as if there isn't a natural reason for these cycles. Too many horrible things are being done to the body. Too many people using botox/make-up, my wife never uses make-up, she doesn't like it and at 33 she looks 21. And i have seen people with make up/botox and most of them LOOKING 20years older than they are.

THE PHOTO IS GROSS.  I also wonder if the picture was pasted together with PhotoShop.  This is antiaging on steroids - literally!

Makes me all the more resolute to avoid any and all cosmetic procedures. As a woman over 40 in our overly visually-conscious American society, I've decided the only thing that will determine what I look like at 65 is whether I spend more time smiling or frowning. You'll be able to "read my life" on my face.

This is a symptom of a bigger problem in our society - rampant narcissism. In America, more than in any other country I've visited, people seem to have an absolute aversion to old age. Everyone wants to live forever, and they refuse to accept aging as a normal part of life. I see people going to the most extreme lengths in a desperate attempt to maintain their youth, from extreme amounts of exercise to extreme dieting, to hormone replacement therapy, etc. Kudos to those who take care of their health, but many of these same people have a real problem accepting their own mortality as a fact of life. There is also so little respect for senior citizens in our society. They are seen by many as "unproductive" and therefore useless, as opposed to many other societies in which older people are looked up to and respected for their life experience and wisdom. As a society, we need to change our way of thinking in this respect, IMHO.

Send him to the military, I'm sure any branch would like to have a bionic, superhuman, steroid bound, man to do all the hard tuff things that enlisted people have to do.

Well, all I can say is that it is simply incredible that a man in his late 60's can look like that! As far as shootin' up hormones every day, I'll have to look him up in ten years to see if he's still around, and what's his health like. But if things are OK (in 10 yrs!), SIGN ME UP!!!!

Being perfectly honest!

My husband and children think I'm beautiful and that is all that matters.  I don't give a fig about anyone else.

And, whatever happened to inner beauty?  You can look like a cover model but be butt ugly on the inside.  A loving, happy, compassionate, sympathetic, humorous, intelligent person is beautiful.

Apparently Dr. Life got his fabulous body over 10 years ago as one of the winning contestants in the 1998 Body for Life competition.  More info at

Okay the old guy lookes buffed, but I was wondering what are the side effects of all those drugs? 

I also wonder what there health will be like in ten year taking all that stuff. We where never to life for ever. It's not how long your here it how many heart you have touch and the deads you have done good and bad that count.

The guy looks great but does he get to screw 21 year olds.  Who is he trying to impress?  I put him in there with the self-help guru's, who charge you big bucks to tell you how to be happy. 

it's said that the diference between an adult and a child is when you realise that its time to not just take but give back.The docters now predict that      we can live with a quality of life until 120y/a :you certanly will have no savings left before that but along with that vome food grown in a factory that is all mean and doesn't reproduce. is the world to populous or arewe keepmg the wrong people alive?

Sorry to announce but this photo has been floating around magazines and the internet for years, used as a marketing tool for the "hottest" miracle of the moment. There are NO shortcuts. Everything we need to be in the best shape of our lives has been here for us forever.

Eat fresh, local and organic. Exercise Intensely

Ray Salomone, Personal Trainer and Wellness Crusader

Greco Roman Wellness

Anybody with any sort of a muscle that thinks between their ears...KNOWS that "drastically changing his exercise and eating habits" is the FIRST step to a better life style and living longer and healthier.... AND this "injecting himself each day with human growth hormone" and getting "weekly testosterone injections" is and might not be the best route to take. It is not natural to be injecting material into your body. Just my $.02 worth

My biggest problem is that growth hormone will cause the bad genes in our bodies to grow faster. If you don't know you have precancer cells in your body and you take this growth hormone, it will cause cancer to grow at a much faster rate.  They are selling something and have no way of knowing what harm it can cause. The best they can say is, if you don't have precancer cells it won't grow cancer... Come on.... cut me a break!

"Vanity,Vanity all is vanity!"This was an  utterance of an old King who had been in a position to engage every indulgence possible.At first take it would appear he had old America in mind except this King lived 2,800 years ago...yet his words live on! Fitness Centres,gyms all this crap has but one purpose to separate you,the end user,from your hard earned cash.Exercise in moderation is fine,too much exercise is as counter productive as too little! What many people fail to understand is that you are programmed genetically so that even if you exercise until you drop,your musculature has been more or less pre determined so that while you can perhaps improve yourself by about 30%,there is an excellent chance that you will NEVER duplicate the musculature demonstrated by the models that appear in these grossly over the top advertisements for gyms,fitness centres et cetera.Seventy percent of your musculature and physicality is determined by your progenitors so if mom and dad were small..there is an outstanding chance you will be small as well.And here is another bubble to burst...it does go without saying that everybody that reads this post will Die.NOBODY BUT NOBODY gets out of this life alive no matter what type of junk they inject into themselves or ingest in the name of "eternal youth".

How very sad in this country we are so desensitized to the aging process.  There's nothing we can do about it--it's going to happen no matter how many injections you put into yourself--for all you know, if you are using Botox, hormones, you may actually be shortenting your life!  These are poisons, people!!  Americans are so label and youth concious.  It's a shame to waste time obsessing over lines, wrinkles, gray hair.  Be happy you are old enough to have them!!!

Honestly, Dr. Jeffry Life is pretty scary looking; He looks unnatural, not youthful, and I don't think anyone wants to look like a bad photoshop job.

Why is it that we are a youth driven culture? $$$$$ Look at the % of population in the US that is appraoching retirement. How many more nauseating ads for wrinkle creme, hair loss, weight loss,life insurance etc, etc are we going to be subjected to and buy into untill we see what the real aim is? Getting the money from our pockets into the pockets of corporations who could care less about us.

Look at how older people are portrayed in the mass media and in movies and Tv. We are seen as senile, funny, tragic, used up and not to be taken seriously.

If you want to retain your youth, which if you ask me remains in our psyche, give yourself permission to do so but allow the natural process of aging to take place in your body. Do things like keeping yourself at your personal best through exercise and nutrition. Keep a youthful attitude, keep your $ in your pocket or better yet give it to someone who needs it more than you.

Here's the thing. There isn't a fountain of youth. EVERYONE is going to get old and die. Some at 60, some at 80, some at 100. Plastic surgery, injections of botox, hgh, or whatever else doesn't make you look young. It makes you look like an older person whose had work done. My great grandfather lived to be 106. He smoked, drank, ate fatty foods his whole life. My aunt died at 42 of an aneurism. It's the luck of the draw.

Personally, I think that badly photoshopped picture is creepy. His body and head are different colors, his nose looks like a pink cauliflower and his bald head is NOT attractive.

Women who are in their 40's, dressing like they're in their 20's are laughable. Women in their 60's having facelifts and boobjobs, botox and collagen injections are just pathetic. Skin sags, wrinkles happen and all the work in the world ain't foolin' nobody.