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What Tom Cruise can teach men about midlife tweaks (and how to tell if your friends have had them)

ss - Getty/AP
ss - Getty/AP

Tom Cruise stepped off a plane earlier this week in Los Angeles, seen for the first time after photos emerged of him attending a baseball game in San Francisco last weekend, looking fuller than usual in the face. His appearance prompted speculation of the 59 year old having had a face full of fillers - although unconfirmed.

Whether or not he’s had injectables, tweakments are definitely on the rise for men in 2021. A new survey by Grand View Research found that the global facial-injectable market size was estimated at $13.4 billion in 2020, is expected to reach $15.3 billion in 2021, and will average an 8.8 per cent increase per year up to 2028. According to market research group Mintel, 43 per cent of adults think that non-surgical procedures are becoming a normal part of beauty and grooming routines.

While Botox freezes muscles usually in the forehead to reduce wrinkle depth, filler can add volume to sunken cheeks, heavy jowls or temples. But as with any injectable, there’s a fine line between looking suitably refreshed and well-rested, like you’ve just come back from a holiday, to looking visibly ‘done’. For Dr Tijion Esho, a London-based cosmetic doctor, there is a lot to consider.

ss - Karwai Tang/WireImage
ss - Karwai Tang/WireImage

‘When used with a less-is-more approach with treatments such as Botox and fillers, changes are subtle and look natural,’ he says. ‘But unfortunately in some cases patients can be over-treated leading to a puffy appearance. In this case overfilling on dermal fillers in the midface as well as over use of toxin around the eyes and forehead could give rise to this appearance.’

However, Esho is realistic about the natural changes in our appearance as we age. ‘As we age, many things happen to our faces as well as our bodies. Our metabolism slows and if we are less active we gain weight. Areas in the lower face increase in production of fatty tissue and skin reduces in laxity.’ He also suggests that much of what we see on our outside can be related to what’s happening to us internally. ‘Water retention or secondary weight gain could be down to medications or underlying medical conditions,’ he adds.

s - Paramount Pictures/Archive Photos/Getty Images
s - Paramount Pictures/Archive Photos/Getty Images

How to tweak over 40 (without looking done)

  1. To keep your tweakments a secret, as well as looking fresh as a middle aged man, Esho suggests a less-is-more approach. For lines and wrinkles, he suggests ‘microtox’ - tiny doses of Botox. ‘For a man I always advise not using high doses of Botox, because looking super smooth at 40 doesn’t look natural,’ he says. ‘You want to aim for softening lines and wrinkles as well as maintaining movement, so ask for lower doses used in smaller areas.’

  2. ‘Men tend to age slower than females. In terms of age-related volume loss, the key area this happens is in the mid-face, which leads to secondary sagging in the jaw,’ says Esho. ‘It is key to treat these areas in small sessions to avoid overfilling as well as using products that are flexible and allow you to keep the natural movement when the face is in animation.’ Esho recommends the filler product Juverderm ‘Volift’ and ‘Voluma’ in the right hands, and Juvederm ‘Volux’ to provide good structural strength to the jaw line.

  3. ‘Many men forget about skin as part of the tweakment process,’ says Esho. To keep the skin in good shape, he suggests wearing sun protection daily as well as starting a regular skin regime. ‘However, as many men have spent years without doing this, good resurfacing treatments like skin peels or laser resurfacing can take away years of age-related sun damage, and kickstart your regime to look fresher.’ For a good laser resurfacer, he recommends the Alma Hybrid.

With any skin tweakments, Esho first line of advice is to always research before committing to any injectables, and to see a qualified doctor. 'If done properly, fillers and Botox can subtly refresh your appearance and no-one needs to know,' he adds.