How to look younger (men): the 10 things that add years to your face
Quick answer
What makes a man look older than he is almost never comes down to wrinkles: it's signals of tiredness and neglect that other people's brains read in about two seconds. The ten biggest giveaways: dark circles, dull skin, thinning hair, expression lines, stray hairs (ears, nose, brows), clothes you've never replaced, chaotic greys, the smell of old aftershave, age spots and a flat, switched-off energy. The good news: eight of the ten take under five minutes a day to fix. If you only change two things: sleep better, and use retinol at night with sunscreen during the day.
Disclaimer first: YES; everyone should own their age, we're all wonderful people at 25, 45 and 75+, and love (for yourself and from others) doesn't care about wrinkles, greys or crow's feet.
That said: there are 'ages'… and then there are 'years worn well'. A lot of it is genetics… but a lot of it is also personal upkeep that everyone else notices and you might have overlooked.
And let's be honest, nobody minds being taken for a few years younger. So we've ranked the 10 things that add the most years to your face — and what to do about each one. Here we go:
The 'I've seen things' eye bags
The thousand-yard stare of a man carrying two rounds of redundancies, a mortgage and a residents' WhatsApp group at war. Deep, dark or hollow under-eyes age you because the brain reads them as tiredness and low vitality before it even gets to your wrinkles.
Sleep (obviously), hydrate the area and use a proper eye cream to bring back some light and a rested look. The skin around the eye is the thinnest on your face: it needs its own product, not your usual moisturiser stretched that far.
BanzeyeEye cream: crow's feet, puffiness and dark circles
€39.99
Dull, dehydrated skin, like recycled printer paper
"Young" skin reflects light. Dull skin absorbs it like a plasterboard wall. We're not talking about going shiny like a glazed doughnut, but about that dry, lifeless, sallow face… we're being vague, but you know exactly what we mean.
A moisturiser that brings some bounce back without leaving you greasy like a pepperoni pizza. Even better if it carries antioxidants: they're one of the four anti-ageing ingredients with real evidence, and they spend the day defending the collagen you still have.
Dragon ShotDay water-cream: hydrates, kills shine, antioxidant
€27.99
Thin, flat, thinning hair
Weak hair with no density, greasy or with no life to it reads as premature ageing and as "I comb my fringe from one ear to the other". Between "man with interesting temples" and "burnt-out university lecturer" there is sometimes nothing but a bad shampoo and zero hair routine.
First, work out what's actually happening: not all shedding is alopecia, and the approach changes quite a lot. We break it down in our guide to hair loss in men. Then, consistency: treatment shampoo in the shower and a daily topical on the scalp.
Hairicane + FollicoolWash and treat: the study protocol, in your shower
from €22.99
Sneaky little wrinkles
A well-lived face talks. And you can freeze the whole thing with botox, or go for something that doesn't cost you your natural expression or turn your forehead into a contour map.
Retinol is the anti-wrinkle active with the most clinical trials behind it, and it works overnight while you sleep. If you're starting out, go every other night for the first few weeks and use sunscreen during the day, no negotiating. The long version is in our guide to anti-ageing cream for men.
WowYoung0.3% retinol, peptides and hyaluronic acid. At night
€54.99
Stray hairs
Those absurdly long hairs coming out of your ears… that monobrow with a mind of its own… that one wire poking out of your nostril in search of oxygen.
A decent mirror, tweezers and five minutes every couple of weeks. Maintenance, not extreme gardening. It's probably the best effort-to-result ratio on this entire list.
'I've given up' clothes
You don't need to dress like a 19-year-old on TikTok. But it doesn't help to be permanently dressed as if you'd just popped out to take the bins out… back in 2014.
It isn't dressing young. It's dressing alive: refreshing your basics every five years or so and retiring anything stretched out, faded or with a collapsed collar. The cut and the condition of a garment give you away far more than the brand does.
Random greys
Greys can look spectacular. The problem is the isolated, chaotic ones: four white curly hairs in a jet-black beard; a random patch in the middle of your head… giving more mad-scientist energy than elegant silver fox.
Either you commit to them fully and wear them on purpose… or you keep hair and beard well groomed so it doesn't look like every hair is freelancing. What ages you isn't the grey: it's the sense of things being out of control.
Smelling like an old wardrobe
Brutal but true. We're not talking about smelling bad. We're talking about that smell (bordering on the politically incorrect) of damp clothes, of old-fashioned aftershave, of a car with the windows up… And smell is the sense that pins a person to a decade fastest.
Good hygiene, fresh clothes and finding a cleaner, more current fragrance changes an enormous amount about how people read you. And watch out for the bottle you've been finishing for ten years: fragrances oxidise too.
JaleoOur eau de parfum: fresh, clean, nothing musty
€59.99
Age spots
Spots are a brutal giveaway. And they show up far more in men, because we tend to blithely ignore sunscreen and the damage adds up. The uncomfortable part: the spot appearing today is sun from twenty years ago.
For day to day, an all-in-one that evens out your tone instantly and improves the skin with use. And so no new ones turn up: daily sunscreen, which is the anti-ageing ingredient with the most evidence there is — a 4.5-year trial measured 24% less visible ageing with daily use.
HandsomefyerEvens your tone instantly, treats the skin with use
€34.99
The 'I don't enjoy anything' energy
There are people at 45 who read as young because of the energy they give off, and 25-year-olds who look one day away from retirement. The most important thing of all isn't wrinkles; it's your expression — the alive kind.
We're not about to go full motivational poster on you, or tell you to bounce through life like a 19-year-old. That ship has sailed. The idea is different: being rested, fresh, looked-after and functional.
Because getting older is unavoidable. Looking defeated by it… completely optional.
Tick the ones that ring a bell. The counter updates on its own.
0-2: you're doing fine. 3-5: normal, pick two and start. 6 or more: it's not your age, it's the upkeep. And upkeep is fixable.
The Siwon anti-ageing squad
If you're only going to attack two points on the list, make them 2 and 4.
€54.99
WowYoung
Anti-wrinkle night cream-gel. For point 4 on the list, while you sleep.
- 0.3% retinol: pure + encapsulated
- Pro-collagen peptides and soothing actives
- Fresh gel texture, zero greasiness
€27.99
Dragon Shot
Day water-cream moisturiser. For point 2: skin that reflects light instead of absorbing it.
- Antioxidant dragon's blood, ginseng and vitamin E
- Hydrates without leaving shine
- Absorbs in seconds
€39.99
Banzeye
Anti-ageing eye cream. For point 1, which is the first thing people see.
- Formulated for the thin skin around the eye
- Crow's feet, puffiness and dark circles
- Morning and night, before your cream
Morning and night together work out cheaper in the Anti-aging Pack (€79.99). And for point 9, don't forget the sunscreen.
Frequently asked questions about looking younger
What makes you look older than you actually are?
Signs of tiredness, not wrinkles. Marked dark circles, dull skin and loss of hair density are the three that other people read fastest, because the brain associates them with low vitality before it even registers an expression line. The good news is they're among the most reversible.
How can a man look younger without surgery?
Four levers: real rest, a minimal facial routine (antioxidant moisturiser by day, retinol at night, sunscreen always), hair and grooming upkeep, and refreshing your wardrobe and fragrance. That's it. Eight of the ten points on this list take under five minutes a day.
What's the minimum routine to look younger?
Two products and one habit: a moisturiser with antioxidants in the morning, a retinol cream at night and sunscreen during the day. Add an eye cream and you've covered the point that gives your age away fastest. The rest of the list isn't skincare: it's upkeep and rest.
At what age do men start to show ageing?
Collagen production starts dropping from around 25-30, roughly 1% a year, but the first visible signs usually show up between 30 and 40: lines that stay put when your face relaxes, duller skin and slower recovery after a bad night. In men, wrinkles tend to appear later but deeper.
How long does an anti-ageing routine take to show?
Texture and brightness, about four weeks. Wrinkles and expression lines, between 8 and 12 weeks of daily use, because new collagen takes months to build. What does show in days is the non-cosmetic stuff: sleeping better, using the tweezers and changing fragrance.
Do greys make you look older?
Not on their own. A well-groomed grey head or beard can add a lot. What ages you is the stray, disorderly grey: four white curly hairs in a dark beard, or an isolated patch. Either commit to it fully and on purpose, or keep the whole thing well trimmed.
Which anti-ageing ingredients have real scientific evidence?
Four: retinol, peptides, antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, ferulic acid) and sunscreen. The rest may feel lovely, but doesn't have the studies to promise fewer wrinkles. We break it down with the numbers from each trial in the anti-ageing ingredients that actually work.
So now what?
Pick the two from the list that stung most and start there. Two months from now, progress photo: same light, same angle. Let us know how it goes.
See the anti-ageing packNote: this content is for information and education only and does not replace diagnosis or advice from a healthcare professional. The products mentioned are cosmetics, not medicines. If you have a skin condition, spots that change shape or colour, or a strong reaction to any product, consult a dermatologist.
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