In Conversation with Mona Mirza: Redefining Health and Wellness

Delna Mistry Anand: What defines health, wellness and longevity in today’s times?

Mona Mirza: There has been a skyrocketing increase in demand for wellness and longevity in the past few years, not just in Dubai but across the world. I think this is due to the treatments and technological innovations available to everyone and an increase in knowledge.

Consumer education through nutritionists, dermatologists, fitness, and mental health experts is readily available and at the click of our fingers on the internet and social media. People are better informed than ever before and more willing to try something new than ever before. People are seeking more sophisticated solutions and remedies to life’s wear and tear.

We have brands like Apple and Oura launching wellness technologies to help the consumer further understand their bodies' needs and diagnostics. I think advances like these have absolutely fueled a better understanding of our own body and its needs. More and more people are seeking better quality lifestyle elements and biohacking tweaks to help improve not just their fitness, but sleep, energy levels, mental health, and skin. By biohacking, we mean cheating the body's ageing timeline in any way we can, making the best of it. So wellness covers this entire broad spectrum.

We are fortunate that the UAE has become a hub of innovations and hence we have access to technologies and advances not readily available from around the world including South Korea, Asia, US, and Europe.

Dubai has certainly gone from strength-to-strength in becoming a world leader in not just wellness, but forward-thinking business and finance, environmental support, and innovative technologies. All these elements lead to a fantastic way of life for residents and visitors, which is why many expats and business community are moving to the UAE, seeking opportunities and a better lifestyle.

What are the trends and customer requests that you have seen growing in popularity in recent times?

The most evident pattern is that customers these days are no longer just looking to support anti-ageing solutions for face and body. Instead, they seek an ‘inside out’ approach their personal treatment plan. Keeping up with our customers’ demands, we have made available so many treatments suited for all aspects of longevity, wellness, and skin. With a location, overlooking the 7-star Burj Al Arab, Biolite is dubbed as 'The Cities Day Retreat' or 'day-cation' where patients spend a day for a 360-health overview, and overhaul. And this is where biohacking has been brilliant in the clinic. Here are some of the trends we have been observing:

Skin:

Times have changed with the anti-aging market stepping away from your regular toxins and fillers, in favour of regenerative polynucleotides, exosomes and energy-based treatments like Sofwave and Sculptra that improve the skin and Collagenesis. They plump, anti-age and tone skin in a much more natural way. We've seen these are becoming more frequently asked for, but of course the likes of fillers still very much have their place.

Sleep & Stress:

An integral part of optimal body and skin function is a good night's sleep. Life is very demanding and stressful, which is the reason many would experience a level of anxiety and depression, affecting sleep, the time that the body uses to regenerate. We have seen a shift in sleep management where people want to decompress, improve disrupted sleep, and support sleep apnea. Our Soma Sleep therapy is a deep relaxation pod that supports anxiety, mood enhancement and relieves stress and much more – aiding a restful evening, sleep and more positive mood.

Fitness & Body:

Alternative forms of exercise and mind enhancement classes like meditation, yoga and Pilates have been popular – bringing the mind and body together.

The Cell gym is a popular treatment for enhancing your fitness, as this supports and conditions your breathing, fatigue, weight management, improved metabolism, athletic performance and more.

More than ever, we are also seeing those seeking alternatives to surgery, to help achieve a sculpted, toned and healthier physique. With the rise of weight loss injections such as Ozempic and the trend of rapid weight loss, we have seen those searching for alternative options with nutritionists, sculpting treatments such as Emsculpt (toning), and Emerald Laser (weight management and energy level increase). Plus, rapid weight loss ravages your skin and accelerates aging considerably.

Health:

Treatments like IV laser therapy support your bodily functions, nutrition, and energy levels, great for those who travel a lot and on the go.

At Biolite we also offer full body diagnostics and key biomarker tests. These help individuals understand their bespoke body's needs. This is fantastic for those looking for a health ‘MRI’ and those who have a specific concern and need blood tests, diagnostics, and screenings.

"More and more people are seeking better quality lifestyle elements and biohacking tweaks to help improve not just their fitness, but sleep, energy levels, mental health, and skin."

What are the new exciting treatments to watch out for?  

We have so many fantastic launches and things on the radar. I am very excited about our development in regenerative and scientific medicines, including exosomes (using your own DNA and stem cells), and fat grafting (using your very own growth factors). These are extremely innovative methods, not just in the UAE but in the world.

● Meta Cell Exosomes (MCT) - it's a game changing exosome treatment for hair and skin, using your very own DNA, compared to existing exosomes derived from animals, plants and humans - all are not considered safe to inject. We are one of the first in the region to introduce this. This improves skin quality and regeneration of skin cells, helps improve hair density, quality and strength, and can be injected into deep tissues. This is truly a remarkable treatment, with everyone having their own experience using their own DNA.  

● Micro & Nano Fat Grafting - Biolite are hugely recognized for offering the best for our patients, which is why we have so many fantastic experts from around the world joining us for residencies. Our most exciting new treatment, Minco and Nano fat grafting, is with leading plastic surgeon, Dr Anthony Ballan who brings his expertise from Paris.  By harnessing the regenerative potential of stem cells and growth factors, we offer holistic and transformative treatments that rejuvenate your skin and enhance your natural beauty - a huge innovation within science.

It's a sophisticated cosmetic procedure that involves harvesting quantities of fat from specific areas of the body. This fat is then meticulously purified to ensure only the finest particles are used, enriched with stem cells and growth factors. These are then precisely injected into targeted areas, such as the under eyes, to restore long lasting results supporting with lost volume and rejuvenate the skin, providing a natural and youthful appearance.

● Stem Cell Therapy - We have noticed some incredible results using stem-cell treatments, after recently introducing Stem Cell Therapy, a revolutionary treatment that uses your very own cells to repair and regenerate tissues. This is a huge innovation for science, both health and body, that taps into the remarkable healing powers of your own body. Accelerating the growth of healthy new tissues, this therapy can improve your body’s performance (athletic and daily), support overall regeneration, and even help with skin and hair rejuvenation.