Beating the clock

April 1, 2015

631

Two men have tapped the fountain of youth and brought its prosperities to a treatment facility in Boca. Deniz Duygulu, a fitness coach and physique competitor, and Carlton Washington, a banker, seem like an unlikely duo. But through their partnership comes the area’s first hormone replacement therapy center, 4ever Young. Here, they talk about the hormone replacement industry, its benefits and treatment methods.

Q: What do hormone treatments do?

A: If the male is deficient in testosterone, we’ll treat to get their levels back to a normal range. And usually the thing that’s going to [be affected] is their mood. It helps with their depression; it helps with their drive. It helps with their energy level. It helps with sexual dysfunction. It basically gives them a better overall sense of well being, and it also helps in aiding metabolism, building muscle and burning fat.

For the women, it’s a little more difficult, because women are balancing three different hormones. So, we check their estrogen levels, testosterone levels and progesterone. We treat where they’re deficient, raising their levels back to a typical range. It pretty much does the exact same thing for the woman as it does for the man. And it even has more benefits for women who are pre-menopausal, menopausal, and basically the symptoms that they’re having of hot flashes, irritability, moodiness and lack of libido.

Q: What are some signs that a patient is eligible for treatments?

A: Believe it or not, you can look at a lot of people, especially men, and you know, you see a man who’s overweight, maybe developing breast tissue, or you talk to this person and their mood is wavering, maybe they’re depressed, they may not have a lot of energy, not motivated to go to work, not motivated to go to the gym … those things right there are pretty strong indicators for a man. For a woman, same thing. Loss of interest in sex, changes in the body physically, weight gain, inability to put on lean muscle, hot flashes and the inability to sleep at night.

Q: How are treatments received?

A: Usually, it’s self-administered. Men it’s usually through inject-able testosterone. Women usually are using creams that are transdermal that actually go through the skin. Those are bioidentical hormones for the women, so it’s much closer to the natural hormones they produce with their body with a much greater decrease in risks than the synthetic estrogen hormones that women were using in the past that gave concern.

Q: How old is the hormone replacement therapy industry?

A: A lot of these techniques have been around to benefit more wealthy individuals. A lot of these things come from the West Coast, with celebrities who have had access to these therapies and supplements for years – probably eight years, nine years.

In addition to hormone therapies, 4ever Young offers botox, fillers, platelet-rich plasma, chemical peels, and nutrition and fitness regimens. Its clientele for hormone treatments range in age from 30 to 59, but skin treatments start for patients as young as 21. Prices range from $199 to $499 per month depending on services and include unlimited follow-ups with physicians face-to-face.