Age against the machine: what I learned after stripping down for a full body scan

Spa-like health centres scour every inch of our bodies in an attempt to extend life. But is this just another way of delaying the inevitable?

A few months ago, I was invited to get a full-body scan in east London. Neko Health is one of several diagnostic clinics that, for a price, uses electrocardiograms, blood tests and a talking skin-scanner to examine you. The company claims it can detect various underlying cardiovascular and metabolic issues, assess your risk of developing pre-diabetes and identify suspect moles.

From the outside, the centre looks like a vast glass mausoleum. Inside, it’s more of a curve-walled spa with pleasant changing areas, private examination rooms and pot plants. Sadly, there’s no swimming pool. The whole process takes less than an hour, and includes (among other things) a mostly nude scan, various blood draws, a test for grip strength and, at the end, through some swift data-crunching, a GP consultation. Most patients (me included) leave with a relatively clean bill of health but an eye on future issues. In its first year of operation, Neko says that 1% of its patients received potentially life-saving intel, which is not nothing. The idea is that this data can then be used to inform the NHS (or other healthcare providers), point people towards necessary treatment and, ultimately, extend life. Welcome to the age of preventive healthcare?

Preventive beauty is rooted in the ambient terror that one day we will look as old as we actually are.