What good is it to look so good when you've lost your damn mind?

When Ketzl showed me this pic and the accompanying article a little while ago, I was so overwhelmed by mixed feelings -- most of them negative.

It's one of those photos that make you do a double-take. Dr. Jeffry Life stands in jeans, his shirt off. His face is that of a distinguished-looking grandpa; his head is balding, and what hair there is is white. But his 69-year-old body looks like it belongs to a muscle-bound 30-year-old.

from: Youthfulness a costly American obsession

I'm all for self-preservation, maintaining your looks, exercising, and all the rest. But, to me, a 69 year old man with a body a 20 year old would be proud to have is, in a word, gross. No surprise, of course, that he's injecting himself with human growth hormones daily. The biggest turn off of all is imagining how much time this guy invests in looking pretty. YMMV.

Do you envy him? Wish you had his commitment?  Wanna sleep with him? Think he's a freak?

Comments

[Nightheron2]

It's especially strange since steroids cause impotence. The high amounts of male hormone cause the testicles to go "Oh, plenty of hormones here, our job is done" and they go back up into the body. The higher levels of hormones also increase the risk of prostate cancer, acne, and "roid rage". Unfortunately, this guy is pretty much stuck. If he goes off the steroids, in a couple weeks he'd look like a deflated balloon. Maybe he just wants to leave behind a good-looking corpse.

[Aspasia]

I swear he looks Photoshopped.

[Nightheron2]

Other things this guy didn't figure: as we age, our nose and ears get larger. I suppose the next thing he'll do is get them cropped. And shave his head, to hide the gray hairs. Seems like his time and money could be better spent elsewhere.

[GirlWithBrains]

ewwwwwwwwwwwwww

Reminds me of a recently widowed 72 year old geezer in Chennai - desperate to sleep with a nubile 20 something. Sick in his mind and repulsive in attitude. His claim to fame (read: potency) is that he has been lifting weights for many years!

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Evan]

I'm surprised to see words like "gross" and "ewwwww" being tossed around. It strikes me as a little odd for a man that old to still have the kind of vanity that drives people to take steroids (not that 70-year-olds aren't vain, just that they're usually vain about other stuff). But hell, if there's something you really want to do that might shorten your lifespan, the age of 70 isn't a terrible time to do it.

[Tom Allen]

When I saw this article in the Sunday paper, I actually thought this was pretty cool. I don't have the technical background on this, but he claims that human growth hormones are not the same as the steroids that body builders often use (and abuse).

But the idea that somebody at 50, 60, or even 70 "should" look a certain way is amusing in a sad sort of way. Only recently are "women of a certain age" being seen as sexually desirable (the "cougars"), and as the baseline of our society ages and our health tends to be better overall, it's only natural that some of us want to live out the latter part of our years in the best of health as possible.

While I dont' agree with the hormone injection (I mean, who knows what it's actually doing to your body?) I do applaud Dr. Life's attitude, and his assertions that proper diet and eating habits, and good physical exercise can keep one looking and feeling fit.

Personally, while I don't have the desire to be a "ripped" 70 year old, I now have the motivation to keep working at keeping my own body in the best possible condition.

[Nightfall]

There's a good reason why we don't know the long-term consequences, if any, of using HGF. First of all, it's a relatively new thing, and only a very small number of people have used it long-term yet. These people probably haven't been closely studied for the duration of their usage. Second of all, people who use it are not a good cross-section of the general population. They are usually rich or semi-rich health & fitness freaks, and thus tend to be better off than the general population anyway - which would skew any results. In theory, it should result in better general health and longer *potential* lifespan; in practice, it might end up with shorter *average* lifespan due to much higher cancer risks. But at this point, nobody really knows.

Would I have sex with him? Probably not. Not because of the age or apparent physical disconnect, but because he's too beefy for my tastes.

[Nightheron2]

I'm starting to agree with Aspasia. I think this image has been Photosphopped. Steroids and growth hormones bulk up ALL of the muscles, including the ones in the face. Just compare older pictures of Mickey Rourke or Sylvester Stallone with current ones and you'll see what I mean.

[Girl withBrains]

still ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

If you're *that* desperate to look good at age 70 ( male or female) just eat right, exercise and maintain a healthy attitude. Now that's sexxxxy. Rather than carry a 25 year old bimbette on your arm - in which case I'd want to tell the bimbette to go get a life.

Photoshopped image, am sure, But still ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Gloria Brame]

Wow, this one got some strong reactions.

I notice, also, there seems to be a split along male/female lines somewhat, with males feeling inspired that they can keep looking super-hot into old age, and females finding this a turn-off.

I love it when people take good care of themselves and still look fabulous after 60 (and 70 and 80 +). But this isn't really about being as good as you can be, it's about achieving a sense of immortality through quack science. It's one of those "just because we CAN -- should we?" situations. I guess I tend to err on the conservative side. I'm not big on cosmetic surgeries either. I think G-spot injections are all hype too.

It troubles me how he asserts his formula is better/different than regular steroids. Where is the scientific proof of this? I don't want a doctor treating me based on his wacky belief in pink ponies with wings, I want him to treat me based on medical facts.

Personally, to me he looks like someone who wants to pretend he's still young. Which, suggests he's in some kind of massive state of denial, and, on the inside, a pretty terrified person. So while we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, when I look at the old guy head on the young guy body, it just makes me go "eeuw, poor bastard."

I don't think it's Photoshop that sculpted those abs: anyone who'd shoot up hormones like that is not above sneaking into a Beverly Hills surgeon for nipping and tucking. God only know how much fat he's pumped into his skin too.

Here's the question of the day: does he get turned on by same-age partners who look their own age?

(Assuming that he isn't in a monogamous relationship with his mirror, that is.)

[Nightheron2]

The latest "Consumer Reports" has a shot of one of Dr. Life's magazine ads with his photo. They show a bit of fine print that reads: "Dr. Life's photo has not been digitally enhanced". Interesting phrasing. Why not just say his photo hasn't been altered? By just saying it hasn't been digitally enhanced means it could have been altered using optical tricks, airbrushing, or just old fashioned cut-&-paste.

[decollete]

Absolutely an edited image. When you blow up the picture in Photoshop, you can see the shadow under the chin on the left is a single color ending in a straight line while the rest of the picture has the gradations you'd expect.