For decades, aging was treated as a fact of life unavoidable, irreversible, and best managed with painkillers, surgeries, and compromise. Today, that narrative is changing. At the forefront of that shift is Dr. Adeel Khan, a physician and leader in cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and longevity science.
Esquire: Aging is everywhere right now. From your perspective, what are men actually worried about?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Most men aren’t afraid of getting older; they’re afraid of losing capability. The ability to move, to perform, to stay active, to do the things that define who they are.
It’s the moment you can’t play sports anymore, or chronic pain limits your travel, or fatigue keeps you from being present with your family. Aging becomes a problem when it starts taking things away. That’s what men are really reacting to.
ESQ: Longevity has gone mainstream. Is this just marketing and celebrity influence?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Marketing plays a role, of course. But the real reason longevity has exploded is scientific. For most of modern medicine, aging was considered inevitable. Now we understand aging as a biological program, something that can potentially be modified. Think of it like software. If aging is code, the question becomes: can we rewrite parts of it? That shift is why this conversation is happening now.
ESQ: Is part of the problem that aging is still difficult to measure?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Exactly. We don’t yet have perfectly precise tools that can say, “This intervention added five years to your life.” Biological age testing has improved, but it’s still evolving. That uncertainty allows a lot of hype into the space. It also makes it harder for people to know what actually works versus what just sounds good.
ESQ: What are the biggest trends you’re seeing in longevity right now?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Two major ones: peptides and regenerative medicine.
Peptides are popular because they’re relatively accessible, generally safe, and people often feel noticeable benefits. Regenerative medicine goes deeper; it focuses on repairing and restoring the body rather than managing decline.
ESQ: Let’s start with peptides. What should men know?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as signals in the body. Insulin is a peptide. Ozempic is a peptide. Each peptide delivers a specific instruction, regulate blood sugar, control appetite, improve recovery, enhance energy or cognitive function. Scientists can now replicate these signals and amplify them.
The challenge is that most peptides aren’t FDA-approved, and there’s limited large-scale data for longevity use. That means results depend heavily on who’s prescribing them and how they’re used.
ESQ: So how does someone avoid getting it wrong?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Experience matters. There’s no shortcut. You want a practitioner who understands research, not someone chasing trends. Ideally, someone involved in clinical trials who understands both the science and real-world application. Without regulation, knowledge and integrity become everything.
ESQ: Regenerative medicine sounds futuristic. What does it actually involve?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Regenerative medicine is based on three pillars: cells, signals, and scaffolds.
Cells, usually stem cells, drive regeneration. Signals, like exosomes or PRP, tell the body what to repair. Scaffolds help hold everything in place so healing can happen effectively. The goal isn’t symptom control. It’s restoring function.
ESQ: Stem cells are controversial. What makes your approach different?
Dr. Adeel Khan: A major breakthrough came in Japan with the discovery of Muse cells, a rare and highly specialized type of stem cell. Muse cells are unique because they’re pluripotent. They can become any cell type, but they don’t cause immune rejection or tumours. That combination makes them both powerful and safe. Your body has them naturally, but like everything else, they decline with age. Using young donor-derived Muse cells allows us to restore regenerative capacity in a way older stem cells can’t.
ESQ: What are men most commonly coming to you for?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Chronic joint pain and degeneration: knees, hips, shoulders. Arthritis is one of the biggest drivers. Most of these men have already tried physiotherapy, pain medications, cortisone injections, even PRP. They’re trying to avoid surgery, and in many cases, we’re able to help them do exactly that.
ESQ: What about performance, energy, and aesthetics especially in places like Dubai?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Dubai attracts men who want optimization. They care about longevity, recovery, and vitality. What appeals to them is efficiency. These treatments don’t require months of downtime. Often, it’s a few hours, and you’re back to your life.
ESQ: Do you track results scientifically?
Dr. Adeel Khan: We do. That’s non-negotiable. We use advanced aging tests that assess how different organ systems are aging, combined with proteomic analysis. It’s not perfect, but it provides an objective baseline. You can repeat it months later and see measurable changes.
ESQ: What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
Dr. Adeel Khan: Giving hope back to men who thought they were out of options. Many patients come to us after being told, “This is just how it is now.” When you can restore function and quality of life, that changes everything; not just physically, but mentally.
ESQ: Is there a right age to start thinking about this?
Dr. Adeel Khan: There’s no perfect age. I’ve treated elite athletes in their 20s who want to protect their careers. For most men, though, starting in your 40s or 50s makes sense. Prevention is always easier than recovery. Waiting until things break down is the hardest and least effective approach.
