The GOOP Podcast

Episode: “The Art of Aging Well”
Host: Gwyneth Paltrow
Guest: Dr. Julius Few, Renowned Plastic Surgeon
Date: September 2, 2025

Overview

In this milestone episode, Gwyneth Paltrow sits down with her friend and prominent plastic surgeon, Dr. Julius Few, to discuss the multidimensional art of aging well. Their candid conversation covers the philosophy of longevity, the importance of inner and outer balance, ethical considerations in cosmetic procedures, innovations in non-surgical treatments, the cultural shift in beauty standards, and their co-creation of the Youth Boost Peptide Serum. Listeners gain actionable insight into maintaining skin vitality across the decades, learn about advances in the field, and hear honest reflections on the emotional aspects of cosmetic care.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Longevity and Aging with Balance

• Living Fully: Dr. Few ties longevity to living with inner peace and fulfilling one's unique potential, rather than just appearances.

  • [04:53] Dr. Julius Few:
    “For me, longevity really boils down to really living our lives to the fullest potential, meaning that we are at a spiritual place of peace... not necessarily according to what a book says or what your eyes say, but really what that individual feels is kind of their best kind of foot forward.”

• Balance of Inner and Outer Wellbeing: Both speakers emphasize the necessity of aligning internal happiness with external appearance.

2. Emotional Motivations & Ethical Practice in Cosmetic Surgery

• The Therapy Aspect of Plastic Surgery: Patients often bring vulnerable life stories into consultations. Dr. Few integrates this awareness into his approach.

  • [06:57] Dr. Julius Few:
    “It has been impossible to separate the story that somebody has to tell with the journey that they're willing to take... I gave my honest advice that I would give to my own brother…”

• The Danger of Surgery During Emotional Turmoil: Paltrow notes that many seek surgery post-breakup, and both speak about advising patients to wait until they're emotionally stable.

  • [10:10] Gwyneth Paltrow:
    “I wish the surgeons would say, you know what? Come back to me in a year when you don't have a broken heart.”

  • [10:47] Dr. Julius Few:
    “If somebody has... a broken heart... a change on the outside is not going to change that anyway. So... it's going to almost be a double hit because... they still don't feel any better.”

3. Preventative and Non-Surgical Approaches to Aging

• “Stacking Treatments” and the Less-is-More Philosophy: Dr. Few discusses the importance of gradual, minimally invasive procedures, reserving major surgery for when it’s truly necessary.

  • [13:54] Dr. Julius Few:
    “You don't wait until things are broken down so badly that you feel like you have to do surgery... I've been moved to think more preventatively.”

• Skincare and Lifestyle at Every Age: Good habits (cleansing, exfoliation, hydration, balanced hormones, nutrition) should start in the 20s.

• Thread Lifts and Early Interventions:

  • [16:19] Dr. Julius Few:
    “A thread lift is basically using a... fully absorbable surgical grade stitch material... to lift the skin up... works best in somebody who has very early signs of... sagging.”

4. Integrative Medicine and the Next Frontier

• Nutritional and IV Therapy as Cosmetic Adjuncts:

  • [19:02] Dr. Julius Few:
    “What we are embarking on right now is... an integrative medical approach... doing IV therapy, for example, to enhance the results of some of these external treatments... How could that help enhance a Botox treatment... how could that enhance a hydrafacial?”

• Hydrafacials and Eye Lifts: Eyes as a specialty and focal point for rejuvenation; many people do their eyes before other procedures.

• Non-Surgical Eye Treatments: Fillers, lasers, and neuromodulators can refresh the under-eye area and tight upper eyelids.

  • [22:23] Dr. Julius Few:
    “Using filler in the under eye... can be a hugely powerful tool to make... dark circles look like they're better or going away.”

5. The Collaborative Youth Boost Peptide Serum

• How the Serum Was Developed: Years of collaboration, clinical trials, and shared passion for truly clean, effective skincare.

  • [24:38] Dr. Julius Few:
    “You would be able to... be open to different ideas of how to come up with something that is clean but yet effective, and that you'd be willing to allow me to subject it to clinical study.”

  • [27:03] Dr. Julius Few:
    “No one dropped out. No one dropped out [of the clinical study]... and we had many more than that. So I think... that was a testament to the product.”

• Results and Diversity: Visible improvement in all ages and skin tones.

  • [28:18] Dr. Julius Few:
    “We had individuals in their late 60s in the study, and everyone... The data that we're talking about includes everyone... we wanted to show diversity.”

• Why It Works: Potent peptides, botanicals, ceramides—‘stacking’ active ingredients. Can be combined with retinol and Vitamin C.

  • [29:19] Dr. Julius Few:
    “The combination of... the coals and the peptides, the way that they... coalesce... Each component... is designed to target... a different issue.”

  • [31:33] Gwyneth Paltrow:
    “So, okay, so peptide serum. Yes. Vitamin C of some kind... retinol. So these are all three things you recommend at various points in the day?”

  • [31:45] Dr. Julius Few:
    “Absolutely, absolutely. And it's an easy thing to do.”

6. Cultural Shifts in Beauty Standards

• Rise and Retreat of “Filter Face”: Social media drove demand for a uniform, heavily “enhanced” look, but Dr. Few sees the trend shifting back toward naturalness.

  • [35:18] Dr. Julius Few:
    “There was... a significant shift... towards a filter face... a perfect looking face... very stylized, very gender kind of fluid... Now we're seeing a shift kind of away from it.”

  • [36:30] Dr. Julius Few:
    “If you push the tissue too hard, you actually age the tissue... If you have somebody who has their cheeks overfilled time after time... it's going to look really bad.”

7. What's Next in Aesthetic Innovation?

• Pursuit of Non-Surgical Skin Tightening:
  • [38:12] Dr. Julius Few:
    “The holy grail... is coming up with a good non surgical skin tightener... where we are going to be headed is... using internal augmentation, meaning giving somebody something through an IV and then delivering an external treatment that creates a synergy.”

8. Personal Motivations and Clean Beauty Advocacy

• Paltrow's Curiosity Sparked by Motherhood: Concern over artificial fragrances in baby lotion led to a deep dive into clean beauty and eventual industry activism.
  • [41:08] Gwyneth Paltrow:
    “I remember having a moment when Apple was a baby... curiosity around, why does this smell like. It does. Is this a synthetic fragrance? Is it...safe to put on my baby?”
  • She highlights the need for transparency, regulation, and clean, high-performing products.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [06:57] Dr. Julius Few:
  “I do feel... I don't look at my work as just while I'm cutting on people. I look at it as, okay, I get a significant amount of gratification matching up that inner kind of balance of wellness and what somebody's looking for...”

• [13:54] Dr. Julius Few:
  “Plastic surgery... up until recently largely been more of a you see the problem, you fix it instead of what the rest of medicine is doing... think more preventatively.”

• [16:19] Dr. Julius Few:
  “A thread lift is basically using a... fully absorbable surgical grade stitch material... it's passed non surgically... to lift the skin up...”

• [24:38] Dr. Julius Few:
  “You ask questions like... a colleague would. I realized that you would be able to... come up with something that is clean but yet effective, and that you'd be willing to allow me to subject it to clinical study.”

• [35:18] Dr. Julius Few:
  “During COVID there was a significant shift... towards a filter face... a perfect looking face... Now we're seeing a shift kind of away from it.”

• [41:08] Gwyneth Paltrow:
  “I started researching around synthetic fragrances and how they can really disrupt your endocrine system... I thank you for being one of my teachers and mentors in the beauty space...”

• [44:49] Gwyneth Paltrow:
  “Thank you so much, so deeply for your friendship, for this incredible collaboration on our peptide serum. For you just being such an amazing thinker and listener.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Topic | |------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:33–06:21 | Dr. Few’s philosophy of longevity and whole-life wellness | | 06:21–10:10 | Therapeutic relationships in cosmetic surgery, emotional motivations | | 13:54–16:16 | Preventative approaches, skincare throughout life decades | | 16:16–18:57 | Thread lifts and procedural advancements | | 19:02–21:02 | Integrating nutrition and IV therapy for better cosmetic outcomes | | 22:08–24:00 | Non-surgical eye treatments and specialty | | 24:00–31:52 | The Youth Boost Peptide Serum: development, results, recommendations | | 34:40–37:49 | Cultural aesthetics, the “filter face”, and evolving cosmetic ideals | | 38:12–40:09 | The future of non-surgical skin tightening | | 41:08–44:49 | Paltrow’s journey into clean beauty and guest gratitude exchanges |

Conclusion

This rich and thoughtful episode offers a masterclass on healthy, balanced aging—emotionally, physically, and culturally. Dr. Few’s deeply personal, honest approach, coupled with Gwyneth Paltrow's curiosity and advocacy for clean beauty, makes this episode essential listening for anyone interested in longevity, ethical aesthetics, and the future of cosmetic medicine.