He Spends $70K a Year on Quest to Remain Young

As the saying goes, in this world, nothing is certain except for death and taxes. Well, an octogenarian biohacker seeks to prove the former false. Kenneth Scott, an 81-year-old biotech investor and real estate mogul, spends upward of $70,000 every year on processes he believes can reverse the aging process—and has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in anti-aging technology and research. "Our culture has the mentality that we were born to die," he tells Quartz. "From childhood, we were taught that we're going to die. But I suggest that that culture is out of date."

After years of experimental treatments, Scott claims tests have shown his biological age to be much younger than his actual one. And when he goes out dancing with his wife, he believes he still moves like an 18-year-old. (He dances in this video.) Scott tells Longevity that seeing his grandfather's health struggles when he passed away about 60 years ago first drove him to seek out ways to halt aging. "He had a few rough years before he died. I decided then I didn't want to go that way. And even more, I didn't want to live a life like he did as he got older. So I started to try and do things at that time, that I thought would be helpful." So how does Scott manage to spend $70,000 a year, even as he eschews most soaps and shampoos? Some examples:

• Vampire facials: Like Kim Kardashian, Scott is a fan of the platelet-rich plasma facial—known as the vampire facial because it involves using a patient's blood. According to KTAL News, after that blood is extracted, it's spun in a centrifuge until plasma is separated. The plasma is applied to the face to encourage regeneration and skin repair. (Note: Evidence this works is "thin," as McGill explains.)
• Peptides: Scott spends up to $600 a month on anti-aging peptides, though he acknowledges it's "hard to measure exactly what the benefits are."
• Gene therapy: Scott travels to Honduras for gene therapy injections (and sometimes chronicles the process on Instagram).

While the FDA cautions against partaking in unapproved treatments—particularly those out of the country—Scott says he's not getting any younger, so to speak. "I have a life expectancy of seven years at this point. I don't really have a lot of interest in five-year trial programs, so I just get on and do it." (Odd bonus of travel: It may slow aging.)