It would be nice to think of the lines around our eyes as marks of experience, like the patina on a pair of good leather shoes. Or the scars collected from hard-won battles. “See this one? That’s the year I got my business off the ground. These here? My twin girls gave me those. The rest? Yeah, they’re Netflix.”

If we could permanently airbrush the wrinkles, dark circles and redness, most of us probably would, especially right now. With face masks becoming standard-issue accessories, our eyes are the only visible part of our faces, one of the few clues to the person behind the PPE. What a shame then, that we all look so very, very tired.

It’s not just pandemic anxiety that’s to blame, says London-based facial aesthetician Dr Krystyna Wilczynski. “As we age, the amount of collagen and elastin our skin produces decreases,” she says. “This, along with sun exposure and genetics, is one of the main causes of under-eye wrinkles that can make us look tired or older than we actually are.” This process is accelerated by certain lifestyle factors, such as alcohol and caffeine consumption, late nights and excessive screen time.

Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to unmask youthful-looking blinkers. The obvious ones are staying hydrated, moisturising and minimising screen time. But for more specialist options, cast your eyes over the expert advice below.

If you have wrinkles around your eyes that look less like fine lines and more like geological structures photographed from space, well, at least you look honest. Researchers at Western University in Ontario found that wrinkles in the corners of your eyes make smiles (and frowns) appear more sincere.

Still want rid? There are a number of products you can try, says dermatologist Dr Dennis Gross: “Always seek out brands that formulate products with active ingredients such as retinol, vitamin C or hyaluronic acid, and back up their claims with clinical studies.” Retinol is the gold standard for anti-ageing, he says, but some products can be too harsh to use around the eye. Always read the packet and apply gently with the fingertips, avoiding the eyelids.

To go a little further, consider a chemical peel, which can be effective for superficial wrinkles, says Dr Wilczynski. They work by literally resurfacing your skin. “Peels are designed to remove the top layer of skin under the eye to reveal a new, smoother layer so that wrinkles are much less prominent. Consider this a deep exfoliation to buff and soften the skin and alleviate wrinkles – especially around the eye area.”

You may look like Mr Alice Cooper first thing in the morning, but those dark circles don’t have to be bags for life. The first step is to find out what’s causing them. “What colour are the circles under your eyes?” asks Ms Anita Bhagwandas, a contributing beauty director at Glamour magazine. “If they’re blueish, that’s usually a result of thinning skin, which happens as we age. In that case, look for an eye cream with retinol, which will help to plump up the skin over time to make the blueness caused by blood vessels underneath less visible.” If they bags are more grey, it could be hereditary or caused by rubbing your eyes too much, for which Ms Bhagwandas recommends a soothing eye cream with calming extracts such as aloe vera and camomile, which will ease inflammation.

Makeup artist and men’s grooming pro Ms Zoë Moore has worked with rock stars including Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. But she cautions against the tempting option of a concealer for persistent dark circles. “The danger is something we call the ‘reverse panda effect’, where the skin around your eyes looks lighter than the rest of your face,” she says. “Try Tata Harper Illuminating Eye Cream instead. It’s colourless, but has reflective particles in it which naturally make the skin look lighter.”

Cooling products can also reduce puffiness, which is where cucumber slices – or refrigerated teaspoons – come in. “This works in the same way an ice pack does on a swollen ankle,” says Ms Moore. Alternatively, wear a cooling mask in the morning as you do 1,000 crunches. You can fault Patrick Bateman on a lot of things, but not his skincare regimen.

Red eyes can be the result of everything from allergies to conjunctivitis, burst blood vessels to ingrowing eyelashes. But they can also be the result of hardline studying, sleep-resistant babies and haunting documentaries about serial killers – basically anything that keeps you up at night.

If you have a persistent problem, visit your pharmacy – mask on – and ask about cleaning solutions or whether you should see a doctor. Assuming it’s nothing medical, simple eye drops should restore your Mr Frank Sinatra-style twinkle, says Ms Moore. “They help to brighten and refresh the whites of your eyes,” she says. “They’re good if you’ve had too much screen time recently.”

With the greatest respect to the Gallagher brothers, eyebrow maintenance for men has come a long way since 1994. Barbershops regularly offer treatments and if you have a heavy or untidy monobrow, seeing a professional might be your best option, who will likely recommend waxing or plucking depending on the amount of hair above the bridge of your nose. “It’s not a DIY job in my opinion,” says Ms Moore.

What’s safer to do at home is general maintenance and gentle shaping of your brows. As we age, some of the hairs in our eyebrows become longer and thicker. You’ll know when you get them because they feel thick enough to conduct electricity. It’s OK to tackle these strays yourself, but don’t pluck them, says Ms Moore. Use a comb to brush the hairs up towards your forehead. This will identify the rogue hairs. Then simply trim them with scissors to a level that matches the rest of your brow.

There is a limit to what creams and cucumber slices can do, so if you’re really anxious about your peepers, you might want to consider having a little “work” done. Botox**, **lifts, lasers and fillers are all on the menu; it just depends what’s bothering you.

“Injectable treatments like Botox are most often used for crow’s feet around the corner of the eyes, or to fill in deeper wrinkles between the eyebrows or on the forehead,” says Dr Wilczynski. Botox relaxes the muscles to smooth wrinkles on the surface beside and above the eyes, whereas fillers are more suitable to “fill” deeper hollows and wrinkles under the eyes.

“If you have severe under-eye wrinkles, sagging skin, or heavy puffiness under your eyes, surgery might be the best way to go,” says Dr Wilczynski. “Lower eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, removes excess fat and sagging skin in order to tighten and smooth the remaining skin under the eyes. The result is eyes that look significantly younger and brighter.”