Turning 40 as a Man in Dallas: The Honest Guide to Looking Better Without Looking Different

Men lose collagen at the same rate as women — approximately 1 percent per year starting in the mid-20s — but face different structural changes. While women often lose facial volume first, men typically develop stronger expression lines and jaw changes faster. The forehead lines, the 11s between the brows, and the lines around the eyes become permanent rather than dynamic.

The jaw also changes. Masseter muscles that were strong and defined can overdevelop from clenching and stress, paradoxically making the face look blocky rather than angular. And if any weight gain occurred in your 30s, the jawline definition that came back on a cut is a little less reliable than it used to be.

Neuromodulators — Botox and its equivalents — are the single most popular aesthetic treatment among men, and for good reason. When done correctly, they soften the expression lines that project age and fatigue without changing the fundamental structure of the face. The key word is correctly. Botox that freezes the forehead or eliminates all movement reads as treated and looks wrong. Conservative dosing that softens lines while preserving expression looks like nothing happened except you slept well.

Masseter Botox — injecting the jaw muscle — is less discussed but increasingly popular among men who want sharper facial definition. By slimming an overdeveloped masseter, you restore the angular, tapered lower face rather than the square-jawed look that comes from clenching. It also helps with the jaw tension and grinding that drives many men to seek it in the first place.

The treatments that age men badly are usually not wrong in concept but wrong in execution. Filler overdone in the cheeks creates a puffed appearance that looks feminine and untreated in the wrong way. Forehead Botox that removes all movement gives the blank, flat look that everyone recognizes as 'he got something done.' And laser treatment performed too aggressively on darker skin tones can leave pigmentation changes that are worse than what was treated.

The provider question is more important than the treatment question. Find someone who asks about your goals in detail, explains their conservative starting philosophy, and builds in a follow-up to assess and adjust. If the consultation is a five-minute form and a needle, the outcome will reflect that.