HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE: A doctor from the School of Anti-ageing, Aesthetics & Regenerative Medicine conducting a facial treatment demonstration on a patient.

During the twentieth century, health and beauty topped the main agenda in every household and still remain foremost concerns for the community, even today.

In response to escalating demand for improvements in these areas, UCSI University's School of Anti-ageing, Aesthetics & Regenerative Medicine pioneered the first master's programme in Malaysia fusing the three fields of anti-ageing, aesthetics and regenerative medicine for licensed doctors.

Under the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, the School brings together under one roof a team of dedicated experts specialising in these fields.

The Faculty's Head of School, Dr. Deepali Sharma said: "The School is very committed to continuous medical education and we created this programme – which integrates face-to-face learning, demonstrations and hands-on practices – ahead of time because there wasn't any university training ground governing these fields then."

As one of the School's core disciplines, regenerative medicine – the process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs – or, in particular, genetics is the new way forward, according to molecular cell biology and genetics lecturer Sharmanee Thiagarajah.

She forecasts that the near future will witness many global communities optimising regenerative processes.

Take for example stem cells which are currently being applied in aesthetics, knee injuries, regeneration of specific heart components and as treatments for over one hundred different ailments.

Dr David Karam, a renowned expert in this field and an adjunct lecturer to the School, who visited the School in July this year to lecture the students, said: "Many (courses) tend to focus on the latest cutting-edge technologies and disregard the academic aspect of medicine, which is to teach the fundamental basics to students."

I'm very impressed by the programme here, he said, and the doctors have a profound understanding of regenerative medicine.

Above all, it is a top-notch and well-rounded academic programme, he added, with effective presentation materials and a strong faculty base, which will eventually be at par with international standards.

Dr Karam is the Staff Physician and Senior Research Fellow in the Southwest Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine Centre in Mexico and is the President of Medical Research of Southwest Institute for Medical Research in Texas, among other certifications.

Similar to regenerative medicine, anti-ageing is an approach dedicated to preventative measures.

A common public misconception is that anti-ageing is found in the form of products, such as creams and lotions, although, in actuality, anti-ageing leans towards lifestyle improvisation and health optimisation.

Dr Deepali said anti-ageing is delving in-depth into basic sciences to alter and optimise the processes that take place at a bio-chemical level in our bodies.

Most of us live in a stressful environment, she elaborated, which, these days, include long working hours, lack of sleep, and household and work-related stress – all of which is a culmination of our lifestyle and what we consume.

Inevitably, it has become the norm for doctors to prescribe medicines to patients, and if the patient develops an adverse reaction to the medicine, more medicines are prescribed – slowly giving rise to a drug-dependent nation.

With that in mind, the School emphasises on teaching its doctors the basics, focusing on treatments through five "pillars", namely, diet and nutrition, supplementation, hormone optimisation, exercise and mental health.

With more doctors zooming in on the lucrative field of aesthetics, the School also equips its students with the fundamental principles in aesthetics and proper technique applications – thus enabling them to conduct aesthetic procedures with confidence at their own practices upon graduation.

According to Dr Irene Lee, a consultant dermatologist and senior lecturer at the School with a Fellowship in Dermatologic Laser Surgery from Thailand, aesthetics has become a widely practised field not only in Malaysia but across the globe.

Commenting further, she said this has been made apparent by the number of general practitioners, plastic surgeons and dermatologists practising in the field.

The Ministry of Health has constantly been on the look-out for various ways to regulate aesthetic practices in the country because many general practitioners are now conducting aesthetic practices – such as botox fillers, chemical peels and laser IPLs – without undergoing an appropriate structured training programme.

Despite the availability of numerous workshops, these short-term courses merely scratch the surface of aesthetic practices.

With the praxis concept – an academic approach advocating hands-on industrial practices – paving the way, future plans include bringing in more aesthetics equipment, such as laser machines to enable students to be exposed to the various types of laser machines in the market.

Although there are no real regulations prohibiting aesthetic practices in Malaysia without attending specific programmes, practitioners should possess the essential skills and knowledge to practise safely, ethically and effectively and within the legal parameters of professional practice.

"Our programme endorses this concept by inviting legal lecturers and guest speakers and experts to share their experience and knowledge on the latest advances in these fields," said Dr Irene.

"This way, students are able to tap into the unequalled knowledge of these industry professionals."

The praxis approach necessitates students to clinically appraise theories and articles, and conduct research, thus enabling them to be aware of the latest trends and to be exposed to evidence-based practices.

The School's doctors are industry practitioners themselves and actively carry out research through trials, appraisal of theories (or literature) and structured reviews.

There have been discussions to establish research collaborations with public universities in Malaysia, where the School will utilise the universities' latest technologies to conduct research and clinical practices.

Deliberations are also taking place to develop an aesthetics line, where mannequins will be brought in to furnish doctors with sufficient hands-on skills before they practise on actual patients.

While anti-ageing, aesthetics and regenerative medicine have not yet been explored to their widest extent on the local front, many high-profile technologies are steadily being developed.

It is anticipated that Malaysia will stand on equal ground in these fields with its Western counterparts further into the future.

To find out more about UCSI University's master's programme in Anti-ageing, Aesthetics & Regenerative Medicine or the School's "Expert Lecture Series" on 3 & 4 November, kindly contact the course administrator, Ganayee Devi, at 03-9101 8880 extension 5082 or direct enquiries about the School to her at www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my/onlineenquiry.

More information on the regular "Expert Lecture Series" can be obtained by visiting http://www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my/misc/lectureSeries.asp