News and Insights
Dear young people: Focus on well-being, not wrinkles
September 9, 2025
Just like many others navigating the ups and downs of their 30s, aging and staying healthy are some of the things on my mind. But is aging only about wrinkles, loose skin, and grey hair, or is there something more?
Even though it has been almost two years since I became a health communicator, I see a concerning trend on the rise. More and more young people increasingly focus on “looking” young rather than “feeling” young. This has led to many making a beeline for the next “holy grail” in a bottle or cosmetic procedures, which only delay the inevitable.
Imagine a 20-something-year-old almost collapsing after walking up a flight of stairs. On the other hand, someone in their 60s can complete marathons with much less effort. The irony is evident, yet many fail to see it. The role of health communicators in this situation is clear: changing perceptions around aging by replacing “anti-aging” with “healthy aging.”
Rather than being ageless, conversations should focus on age-positivity, dismantling stereotypes about aging and embracing all its natural signs, including wrinkles.
The obsession with anti-aging
When we are young, our bodies repair many of the damages or mistakes that occur in the cells or tissues through various processes, or we have enough reserves to overcome these gaps. As we age, our ability to deal with these changes decreases. Aging occurs as these changes add up.
For example, skin cells are almost constantly replaced as they do not live long. Over time, this process becomes slower as the number of skin cells that can divide decreases. If cells do not renew or they die, the affected tissues do not function as efficiently as before. This process is slow and takes many years, depending on genes, lifestyle, and environment.
Despite being an unavoidable natural process, aging is seen as something abhorrent by young people. Driven by unrealistic beauty standards on social media and through celebrity culture, they increasingly seek to achieve a level of agelessness and perfection that is practically impossible and unsustainable. This leads them to obsessively look for quick fixes or cosmetic procedures without thoroughly understanding the risks or consulting a healthcare professional first.
In June, the name of Shefali Jariwala was all over the news in India. The actress, who was best known for starring in a risqué music video for a remix of a classic Bollywood song, died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 42. While the probe into her death is still ongoing, preliminary reports stated she was taking several anti-aging medications without medical supervision, which may have led to her death. This incident served as a trigger, rejuvenating conversations about the pressures of looking ageless and how it can lead people down dangerous paths to achieve it.
Embrace healthy aging, not anti-aging
The shift from focusing on a single aspect of aging to overall well-being begins with changing perceptions. Research has revealed that a plethora of cognitive, behavioral, and psychological outcomes in late adulthood are related to their views on aging. While old age may seem decades away, positive perceptions about aging among young adults have several consequences. For instance, young adults with more positive views have a greater life expectancy and show greater resilience.
A longitudinal study carried out over 38 years among young adults found that those with more negative age stereotypes at the beginning of the study had their first cardiovascular event much earlier and showed higher levels of biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease as compared to those with more positive age stereotypes. Furthermore, young adults with negative views and greater anxiety about aging showed higher levels of depression. Data from several studies also demonstrate a correlation between respect for the elderly and health. Countries with high levels of respect for the elderly reported better mental and physical well-being as compared to other groups. Furthermore, the levels of poverty among those above 50 were also lower in these countries.
In this respect, it is important to adopt healthy aging strategies as early as possible. According to the World Health Organization, healthy aging is the process of maintaining functional ability to enable well-being in older age. These are proactive, holistic, and sustainable steps that help individuals not just look, but feel great at any age. Some of them include adopting a healthy diet, exercising or engaging in any form of physical activity regularly, building strong social connections, getting an adequate amount of good-quality sleep, focussing on mental well-being, and undergoing regular health checkups.
How health communicators can change the narrative
Our job is not just providing facts but being catalysts of positive change. There are several ways we can do so:
- Dispelling myths: Myths that suggest aging is something that needs to be fought against must be replaced with evidence-based information. Instead of “anti-aging,” we must embrace “pro-aging” or “age-positive” communication. This translates to moving beyond quick fixes and shedding light on the proven benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Focussing on positive lifestyle habits contributes to better cognitive function, energy levels, and emotional resilience.
- Spotlighting the “silver” generation: It is time to embrace new role models. We must seek out and highlight stories of older adults aging gracefully and accomplishing the extraordinary to prove that age is just a number. There are several such people, including Yuichiro Miura, who climbed Mount Everest at the age of 80 in 2014, or Harriette Thompson, who became the oldest person to run a marathon at 92. These stories dismantle stereotypes of frailty and provide inspirational images of strength and purpose, which can inspire young people to see their future as a continuation of learning and thriving, rather than declining.
- Creating awareness on medical procedures: Health communicators need to shift the conversation around cosmetic procedures. While not inherently bad, these are medical interventions requiring a safety-first approach. We must aggressively advocate for people to approach only certified doctors and clinics that inform people about the benefits and risks transparently. We also must do our part to ensure that anyone considering one of these procedures has the requisite information to make informed decisions about their risks and benefits.
- Shifting to an age-positive culture: Health communicators must actively dismantle stereotypes and usher in an age-positive culture through concrete action. Firstly, we must adopt age-inclusive language and replace terms such as “ageless” with phrases such as “vibrant living” or “successful seniors”. Secondly, the representation of the elderly in the media must change. Instead of showing the elderly as enfeebled, we must portray them as resilient individuals. For example, a fashion advertisement showing a model in her 60s or campaigns that show people in their 70s enjoying adventure sports. This helps normalize the idea that people can lead dynamic and purposeful lives even as they grow old.
- Making a healthy lifestyle an easy choice: The most powerful way to encourage young people to focus on feeling young is to make healthy habits appealing and accessible. We must provide them with the tools and resources to help them succeed. We can partner with communities, schools, and workplaces to promote accessible resources, including fitness classes, nutritional workshops, health camps, and mental health support groups. By portraying these resources as investments in long-term health, we can encourage young people to see them as building blocks for a bright future.
- The early bird advantage: Healthy aging has to be proactive and not reactive, it must not begin after people reach a certain age. The foundation for a healthy life must be laid during youth by encouraging young people to start adopting these habits early. This helps build and maintain physical health, develop emotional resilience, and foster body positivity. The choices you make today will reverberate over the years.
When you look at your reflection in a mirror, you may see the lines and dark circles that mark your face, and the occasional strand of grey hair. These are not signs of impending doom but those of being human. Instead of fearing them, young people need to embrace them as signs of courage and wisdom.
Healthy aging is far more important today than it has ever been, and young people must adopt positive changes. Furthermore, they must alter their perceptions to celebrate life at every stage. As healthcare communicators, we must encourage the younger generation to count their years in terms of how healthy they are, rather than the wrinkles gained, to truly embrace life.
Growing old is not the end of a journey. It is the beginning of another glorious adventure.
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