We are privileged and flattered that PRIME has expanded to our shores. PRIME serves as a professional platform where readers will be able to discern the effective treatments in aesthetic, anti-ageing and regenerative medicine. The manuscripts in PRIME are authored and peer-reviewed by leading professionals in the disciplines of anti-ageing and aesthetic medicine, and founded on clinical scientific research. Therefore, PRIME offers readers the true value of clinical experience and results.

In this inaugural editorial, I would like to shed light on the difference between true health and fitness since there are so many magazines focusing on fitness and wellness. Those who possess the desired toned muscular physique and are deemed to be very fit, in reality, are not necessarily clinically healthy as their inflammatory biomarkers could be bad and in oxidative stress. Therefore, it is vital to understand the delicate balance between exercise and the required period of recovery, as that will ensure optimal health.

Another misconception is the issue of weight loss (which should be fat loss), as it could be the loss of bone density (osteopenia), loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia) or being in the state of dehydration. Sarcopenia, by impairing metabolism, makes us become weak, fatigued and causes us to move with a frail, ageing gait. Simply reading the percentage of body fat does not provide an accurate picture; but visceral fat is also paramount. Central obesity is a sign of higher visceral fat, which is pro-inflammatory and predisposes to metabolic syndrome and degenerative disease. Patients who look slimmer could have higher amount of visceral fat and are actually in worst state of health than those with higher subcutaneous fat. With age, patients tend to gain more fat, which traps more toxins.

To achieve optimum metabolism, sound nutrition and lifestyle play the most important roles in health and aesthetics. In the long term, no amount of aerobic exercise or aesthetic intervention can help us shed more fat or obtain more beautifully toned skin, glowing hair, and stronger nails and joints. Food matters most when we understand the metabolic pathway of the gut–brain axis and how it restores the homeostasis of our body. Regenerative medicine is another promising field of medicine in which stem cell transplants, cellular therapy and immunomodulators not only prevent degenerative disease, but have also been proven as a better therapeutic options.

The effects of aesthetic medicine are enhanced with anti ageing medicine and vice versa. It is an integrative approach, which will be advantageous for any patient. We are inhabiting an exciting, evolving clinical field, which has challenged the conventional wisdom in medicine.