What begins as a personal quest for healing can sometimes evolve into a new paradigm. For Danijela Schenker, a former ICU nurse, the turning point was an autoimmune diagnosis that conventional medicine couldn’t resolve. Two decades, countless hours of research, and many bold self-experiments later, she’s not only symptom-free – but shaping the future of health and beauty. As the founder of Forever Beautiful and co-founder of EpigenEdit, she merges regenerative aesthetics with science-backed longevity, emphasising mindset, education, and the human touch behind high-tech innovation. Her mission? To make cellular vitality, self-knowledge, and lifelong curiosity the new cornerstones of what it means to age well.
What personal experience sparked your shift from ICU nurse to longevity pioneer and beauty biohacker?
“About 20 years ago I developed an autoimmune disease. I wasn’t feeling well at all. I started gaining weight and was tired and exhausted all the time, whilst not being able to sleep enough. My visits to different doctors weren’t very successful. That’s when I decided to take my health into my own hands. I researched everything I could find. I changed my eating habits, put myself on a supplement regimen and started incorporating healthy habits like exercise and prioritising sleep.”
As she entered midlife and noticed changes in her body, Schenker became increasingly drawn to the emerging science of longevity. What began as a personal health recovery soon turned into a deep dive into research and daily self-experimentation – long before biohacking was a buzzword. She was already using red light therapy a decade ago, recognising its benefits for cellular repair when few people had even heard of it.
Today, she feels better than she did two decades ago, and lives surrounded by the very tools she advocates: two types of saunas, a full-body red light panel, and the Swiss-engineered EpigenEdit hyperbaric oxygen chamber she co-designed with her business partner, Katrin Dreissigacker. “I definitely live what I teach” she notes.
Over time, Schenker’s work evolved into a unique blend of care, aesthetics, and innovation – but the connection between beauty and longevity was clear to her from the start.
“I realised very early in my career that beauty comes from within – from the lifestyle choices you make and the external factors that influence how you feel and, consequently, how you look.”
Back then, no one called it longevity – but the effects were already visible.
She recalls clients of the same age who looked strikingly different – and not because of skincare routines or procedures. The ones who appeared older were often living through deep stress: battling illness, grieving the loss of a loved one, going through divorce, or stuck in chronically unhealthy habits. In some cases, it was simply a persistent negative mindset that left its mark. “From a certain age, mindset definitely manifests on your face” – she explains. – “And if you look better, you feel better. If you feel better, you’re more likely to pay better attention to your wellbeing. That is the real intersection of beauty and longevity.”
Danijela Schenker
You founded Forever Beautiful more than a decade ago. What does ‘forever beautiful’ mean today, and how are beauty ideals evolving in the age of longevity and regeneration?
“How you look changes over time, and no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to look young forever – but you can still look forever beautiful. Forever beautiful is the connection between how we look on the outside and how we feel in our minds, bodies, and souls. It evolves as we age and gain more lived experience. That’s why I founded Forever Beautiful.”
When Schenker launched her practice more than a decade ago, cosmetic aesthetics were still dominated by over-enhanced and often unnatural results – what she sees as a typical early-stage learning curve in any new industry. From the beginning, she focused on regenerative treatments instead: she was among the first to offer microneedling and high-frequency LDM ultrasound therapies in Switzerland.
Her philosophy is rooted in the belief that healthy, vibrant skin starts at the cellular level – and that longevity-focused skincare is shifting from surface correction to deep, biological regeneration.
But even the most cutting-edge treatments, she notes, are only effective if the person using them is mentally ready to commit to change.
“You have to be willing to make and incorporate certain lifestyle changes to promote health and longevity. The more you understand why these changes are beneficial for you, the more likely you are to stick with them and make them a habit.”
That’s why education is at the core of her programmes. At EpigenEdit, clients are encouraged to think critically and not take every viral trend at face value. “Part of the education process is informing our patients not to believe everything they see, hear and read, particularly on social media,” she emphasises. With over a thousand practitioners trained, she and her team continue to evaluate emerging studies and filter fact from fiction – a process grounded in medical expertise and scientific rigour.
Danijela Schenker
At EpigenEdit, you focus on science and personalisation. What’s still missing from most longevity programmes today?
“Education and personalisation! There’s no one-size-fits-all plan for everyone, which is why longevity programmes must be personalised. Everybody has a different genetic makeup, and we have to factor that into our longevity education and recommendations. The longevity field is moving very fast, so everyone offering longevity or any kind of medical or health service should stay current with the newest, up-to-date science and knowledge.”
Although the longevity field is increasingly driven by advanced technologies, Schenker believes innovation should never come at the cost of connection. „We always take time for individual consultations where we listen and talk to our clients to understand their actual situation, medical history, wishes, and possibilities” she points out. Behind every treatment plan is a deeply human approach.
When asked about what excites her most in science today, she doesn’t hesitate. Genetic reprogramming – especially for reversing vision and hearing loss – could redefine the limits of ageing. Among emerging technologies, she highlights the EpigenEdit hyperbaric oxygen chamber she co-developed with her business partner: a Swiss-engineered device designed to bring clinic-level results into people’s homes. „It addresses so many ageing problems at once – from stem and senescent cell repair to collagen production and inflammation reduction.”
She’s also a big fan of health tracking wearables and has personally worn the Whoop for years. Looking ahead, she hopes that future devices will enable blood glucose monitoring without the need for needles. And if she had unlimited resources? “I’d bring longevity and health education to schools,” she concludes. Because the earlier we start, the longer – and better – we live.
What message would you like to leave our readers with?
“Find your own passion in life, prioritise movement, sleep, and unprocessed food, enjoy nature and daylight, and never lose your curiosity.”
Author: Révész Bogi
(Featured image: Danijela Schenker)
