I’m a beauty director, not a dermatologist, but that doesn’t stop friends asking me for skincare advice, especially as we navigate our way through menopause and midlife. I like to imagine ourselves inching along, tied together on a safety rope of shared grumbles, from wrinkles and jowls to pigmentation and eye bags. It can be a bumpy journey, but it’s a familiar route and, having had 20-plus years of access to anti-ageing experts, I feel I have a route map to point us in the right direction.
But sometimes, quite unexpectedly, I discover I’m in need of a skincare sat nav. Take a recent text I received. ‘Hey, can I get a bit of skin advice? I feel like my age has caught up with me in the past 18 months. I’m trying to hold back the tide but my moisturiser isn’t cutting it. What should I do?’ A pretty standard question – except this one came from a man.
Thinking about it, I’m surprised I’d not been asked the question before. While my husband is completely unfussed by ageing and shows no inclination to pilfer my La Prairie, male anti-ageing is one of the biggest growth areas in beauty at the moment.
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According to the British College of Aesthetic Medicine, there’s been a 70% increase in the number of men having aesthetic treatments since 2021, with men making up 16% of the tweakments market in 2024. So-called ‘Bro-tox’ is especially popular with younger male clients who, according to new Barclays research, actually out-spend women of the same 18 to 34 age group when it comes to tweakments such as wrinkle injections and filler.
Male skincare is booming at the same time, and anti-ageing is one of the major drivers. The global market is already valued at US$16.9bn and that figure is projected to surge to US$23bn by 2030. Looking just at the UK, Boots saw a 14% increase in men shopping for beauty products in 2024.
But the big question here is, what should men be shopping for and what treatments should be on their radar? After receiving that text, I was hesitant to offer any advice. Are the needs of male skin inherently different? Do men have different skincare goals? And what does an effective male skincare regime actually look like?
Rather than just taking a blind guess, I asked two of the experts from virtual skincare consultancy GetHarley to dig into their experiences and share the best way forward.
Are more men really seeking skincare advice?
Oh, absolutely. ‘Over the last few years, the number of men coming in has steadily increased,’ says consultant dermatologist Dr Catherine Borysiewicz. ‘Now, men make up 50% of my clinic. Their interest is linked to a general positive focus on health and wellbeing and also feeling that they want to look good and age well.’
Aesthetics guru and NHS GP Dr Ahmed El Muntasar estimates he’s seen around a 60% leap in inquiries from men lately. ‘I think it’s partly because they’re seeing their partners really taking care of themselves and their skin,’ he notes. ‘As time goes on, there’s probably an element of realising that she’s looking better and better and he’s not, so it’s time for him to get his act together.’
What are the main concerns men have around ageing?
‘The area under the eyes is probably the number-one concern that I hear from men,’ says Dr Ahmed. ‘Dark circles, hollowness and skin quality in that area is a really big issue. I’m doing loads of treatments for those at the moment.’ Dr Borysiewicz echoes this experience: ‘From their 40s onwards, men will often enquire about how to look well rested.’
Do men have a different approach to anti-ageing to women?
Men are ‘very practical, keen to understand what simple steps they can take that won’t take too much time, but at the same time will give them the best results,’ says Dr Borysiewicz. ‘They’re increasingly interested in ingredients and home skincare devices and in-clinic treatments.’ Fluffy stuff and pampering is low on the agenda, basically.
According to Dr Ahmed, men tend to be a lot less clued up, which can actually be a positive. ‘When men come in for a consultation, they’re really open to anything and everything that I’ll suggest, whereas women have often done a lot more research, so they come in with a very specific treatment in mind,’ he says. ‘Sometimes, when I don’t think it’s suitable, it takes a lot of effort to divert their [women’s] attention towards a treatment I think will work better for them. Men are probably less informed coming in, so they’re more open-minded.’
Do men need to buy ‘male’ skincare?
Not according to Dr Borysiewicz. ‘Skincare does not need to be specifically for men. I always advise patients to look at ingredients and texture when choosing products, rather than packaging or brand.’
Does male skin need different things to women?
Both experts agree that the three basic pillars hold up across the genders. ‘The simple steps are the same for men and women: cleanse, moisturise and sunscreen,’ says Dr Borysiewicz. ‘Beyond that everyone is different, but common male-specific skin concerns include dryness and seborrheic eczema or excess oil production. Male texture concerns can require different approaches. For congested textured skin, good specific ingredients include retinols, azaleic acid or chemical exfoliants.’
What skincare extras do you recommend for men who want to up the anti-ageing ante?
Both our experts believe a good retinoid is the key product for male anti-ageing. ‘It will really, really help,’ says Dr Ahmed. However, ‘Not all retinols are equal and it can be challenging to find an appropriate one for your skin type,’ says Dr Borysiewicz.
Getting personalised advice and, if needs be, a stronger prescription-only formula is the ideal scenario. (The GetHarley service, which allows you to book virtual consultations with top experts for £40, a fraction of the cost of seeing them in person, was something that I felt confident recommending to my male guinea pig.) ‘But I also find that if you just hydrate a man’s skin, that really makes such a difference because a lot of men have very dehydrated skin,’ adds Dr Ahmed.
Another effective anti-ageing add-on is ‘a daytime serum including potent antioxidants,’ says Dr Borysiewicz. ‘These are definitely worth the investment.’ In terms of the best antioxidants, ‘vitamin c is a great one,’ says Dr Ahmed. ‘Peptides are an excellent anti-ageing ingredient, too.’
What treatments are the best ‘bang for buck’ options for male skin?
‘When thinking about starting in-clinic treatments, I really rate microneedling performed using your own platelet-rich plasma or exosomes to stimulate skin with minimal downtime,’ says Dr Borysiewicz. ‘Treatments can be tailored to your skin concerns. The improvements can be seen over many months, and they’ll work synergistically alongside your skincare routine.’
For men who are concerned about sagging and hollowing, ‘dermal fillers are my number one,’ says Dr Ahmed. ‘Done well, I think they’re great for men. A lot of men lose volume in the front of the cheek, which anchors their under eyes. So, when you treat this area, it restores mid-face volume loss and also it helps make the under-eye groove look less harsh.’
However, finding a specialist with extensive experience in male aesethetics is crucial. ‘With male skin, you need to be very careful to have tailored treatment with an expert,’ says Dr Borysiewicz. ‘If treatments, such as botox or fillers, are done badly, the face can become distorted.’
Case study: ‘Seeing my turkey neck was a huge wake-up call’
I sent my volunteer, 50-year-old James, for a virtual Get Harley consultation with Dr Alaa Ati to see if swapping his high street face cream for a medical-grade makeover was worth it
‘It all began the day I went to the barbers. Sitting under their very harsh downlighting, I couldn’t help but see the beginnings of a dreaded turkey neck as they draped the gown around me. This was a huge ‘you’re getting old’ wake up call! Hence, that emergency SOS text.
The appointment with Get Harley was very slick. I work in digital and both the booking and online consultation process was as good as it gets. Dr Ati had all my notes from the pre-session questionnaire ready and,although the session was short, it was to the point and very effective. I guess this isn’t meant to be therapy after all!
James was keen to tackle the signs of ageing
I was prescribed a regime of four medical-grade skincare products: Clinical+ Skin Gentle Cream Cleanser, Obagi ElastiDerm face serum, Heliocare 360 Mineral Tolerance Fluid SPF50, and the promisingly-named Skinbetter Science Techno Neck Perfecting Cream. Just the thing to tackle the turkey wattle, I hoped!
Although I was fortunate enough to trial them for free, I was staggered to look them up and see that they came to well over £300! I was shocked by the idea I’d need to spend £150+ a month on face cream for the rest of my life if I fancied a medical-grade regime. (I’m assured by Lynne that GetHarley does have experts who work across different budgets and it’s something you can specify when you’re being matched to an expert.)
The shift to having a skincare ‘regime’ was a bit hard as I wasn’t used to it – but it’s a bit like the discipline of going to the gym! After a few false starts, I got used to the routine.
At first, the regime did leave me feeling a bit greasy and noticing a distinct scent to my skin, something which I actually now love but at the start took some getting used to! And the greasiness was really just me putting on too much. Once I got the hang of it, I was really impressed by how little product was needed to do the job each time.
James’ four-step skincare regime
Both the neck and face serums have left my skin feeling much smoother than before and my dry spots have definitely gone. They also magically got me to cut back on the last glass of wine as I knew I had to do my ‘regime’ – something which I suspect has helped with the overall glow of my skin!
As for the turkey neck? I went back to the barbers last week and it may just be my imagination, but it does seem to have abated a little and looks firmer. Also, the bags around my eyes seemed to have lessened.
My creams are just about to run out and, although I’ll restock as I’m keen to see if I can make further improvements to my neck, I’m nervous about a costly commitment. Looking to the long term, I suppose I need to accept one of two things – the price of medical-grade skincare (at £2.5k a year!) or the fact I’m growing older. Eek.
Whatever I decide, there’s one piece of advice I’ve kept coming across throughout this experience. And it’s this: sunblock is the cheapest and best way to protect your skin from ageing and skin cancer and something you should just do every single day.
I will take this advice away with me and make sure I have a little sunblock bottle wherever I go. It’s inexpensive advice I can’t afford to ignore.’
