Forty. This middle-age milestone will give even the hardiest of men pause, including those who casually spin you a line about age being “a state of mind”. As the #10YearChallenge duly (and often cruelly) demonstrates, a great deal can change in the space of a decade. Haircuts and dress sense may improve but collagen, elastin and lean muscle mass will almost certainly degrade.

Previous generations took extreme – and, frankly, rather foolish – measures to combat these inevitabilities. Invasive surgery, liposuction, hair plugs and an unhealthy obsession with human growth hormones did little more than amplify an internal crisis.

Today, the advent of “tweakments” has revolutionised the way in which we weather the years. These non-invasive medical-grade treatments produce subtle – and, crucially, plausible – results with no downtime. From radiofrequency resurfacing to fat-melting technologies, and a sizeable smorgasbord of facial fillers, there is no shortage of quick fixes that can be performed in under an hour.

In the hands of a good doctor (see below for our pick of the best), these procedures won’t create a drastic volte-face so much as soften the effects of a life well-lived.

The backlash against Botox began a couple of years ago when the frozen faces of Los Angeles sought out “reversal” treatments. They feared that the undeniable conspicuity of their waxy complexions was, in fact, adding years rather than subtracting them. (A word to the wise: casual observers will always overestimate your age if work is obvious.)

Dr David Jack, a renowned aesthetic doctor based on London’s Harley Street, prefers to administer “micro Botox” (aka “microtox” or “baby Botox”), a procedure that uses the same drug, but in considerably lower doses. “We’re not trying to upset the normal architecture of the muscles by paralysing them” says Dr Jack. “Microtox relaxes lines and reduces the strength of depressor muscles, the ones that pull the face downwards,” he adds. In this way, you retain facial expression but get all the pore-shrinking, skin-smoothing benefits of the drug.

From £250; drdavidjack.com

High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic Field, the non-invasive technology behind EmSculpt, has been around for years, and was originally used by physiotherapists to reeducate muscles. It has since been repurposed to break down tummy fat and build muscle strength by triggering supramaximal contractions of the abdominals. It may sound like cheating, but the sheer intensity of these contractions would be impossible to achieve in a traditional workout.

Two defibrillator-like panels are placed on the abs and the machine stimulates motor neurons for 30 solid minutes. The sensation is intense, but not painful, and well worth the investment. Patients routinely achieve a 19 per cent reduction in subcutaneous abdominal fat and around a 16 per cent increase in muscle mass after just four sessions with Dr Preema Vig, a GP turned aesthetic doctor.  “EmSculpt is the first device to address abdominal contouring through muscle tone,” she says. “The other machines only address fat.”

Four sessions for £3,000; drpreema.com

The selection of facial fillers on the market is astounding and, at times, confusing. Fundamentally, though, all fillers work on the same basic principle: to fill out fine lines and wrinkles with a sponge-like ingredient called hyaluronic acid.

Profhilo is something of an anomaly, not least because of its chemical structure – it is a hybrid of high and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid that has been thermally cross-linked. In layman’s terms, this means that even though Profhilo contains hyaluronic acid, it doesn’t work anything like a traditional filler.

The agent is injected into five specific points on the face and stays in the skin for up to 28 days, jump-starting the production of elastin and collagen. Moreover, its runny consistency means that it spreads evenly underneath the skin for an airbrushed effect (as opposed to the dreaded “hamster face” that results from poorly administered fillers).

£450 per session. You will need two treatments approximately four weeks apart; drdavidjack.com

Perhaps the greatest age-related concern for men is thinning hair, particularly in the case of hereditary conditions including male pattern baldness. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is one high-tech way to generate new hair, but not everyone is a good candidate and the treatments are costly.

Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy, or PRP as it is commonly known, is a procedure whereby the growth factors found in your white blood cells are extracted and then injected back into a site that needs healing. It has been used to regenerate joints and even overhaul faces. These days, doctors such as Dr Maryam Zamani are starting to use PRP to increase hair count, thickness and, crucially, the growth cycle of each hair.

Your own blood is drawn, centrifuged to separate the plasma, and then injected into the scalp. It is a painstaking process – and it might make you a touch queasy – but it does reap rewards. Expect to undergo at least one treatment a month for the first three months before you see results.

From £800; drmaryamzamani.com

If you’re prone to burning the candle at both ends, chances are signs of wear and tear will start to show up more easily as you approach 40. Enter mesotherapy, a quick and minimally invasive procedure whereby a cocktail of vitamins, amino acids and minerals is injected into the mesodermal layer of the skin, usually with a gadget resembling a tattoo gun. The bespoke infusion provides cellular nourishment and will boost your complexion instantly. Regular mesotherapy will reduce crows feet, soften pigmentation and encourage the production of collagen. Ideal for workaholics, insomniacs or those who are prone to pulling all-nighters.

From £400; drmaryamzamani.com