Do men age worse than women?

[Anonymous]

I think we can agree that society is more accepting of men who look older than women BUT you know as far as skin and physique go do men age faster and/or worse

I'm a senior in college and I just recently noticed that a lot of the guys I started with have aged quite a bit in the last 3,5 years, while the girls haven't really. But well many of the guy have already deep, permanent wrinkles on their forehead. I mean deep considering they are 21 and they are permanent. I get expression lines as well but they dispear when I relax
And then there are a lot of guys balding and growing a beer belly. At 21. They went from looking like 15 to looking like in their lat 20s. And the girls just haven't changed much since we started I think. So I was wondering why that is?
When people commonly say women age worse. But you know aging worse is different age being seen as bad in society. So I'd like to keep them separate

[bubble_tea]

I know what you're talking about. I have literally never seen a young woman who has deep wrinkles on her forehead.. the kind that doesn't go away when you relax your face and are so deep you could feel them on your finger if you could touch it. I've seen quite a few young men who have them, even before they develop deep laughter lines around the eye. Lines so deep cannot be hidden with makeup, unless ordinary women somehow can get their hands on special effect makeup used for zombie movies.

Those men with deep wrinkles don't care and say those lines already started developping in their teenage years, so it's genetics, and "women like older men, so it's actually a good thing that I look older than I am". They also this idea in their heads that those lines never get deeper and they never get more.. as if it's the oldest they will ever look.

I do think most men age worse, because they don't care about skincare no matter if they have good or bad genes.. but they think they age better, because they think women still like older looking men, but the men don't like older looking women.. "longer desireable = age better"

[Asker]

exactly what I see. You never see a young woman with real wrinkles, men on the other hand...
And even in old age, it seems men get deeper wrinkles, especially on their forehead

[lumos]

I think it depends on the person, not the gender. Those who take care of themselves and have good genes look good no matter what age they are. Those who don't, or have poor genes, look horrible. It's as simple as that. And the fact that more people seem to think that women age worse just proves that people have a very fucked up and narrow view of what a woman should look like, whereas people are more accepting towards the flaws of men.

[Asker]

well I agree which is why I told people to specifically ignore what they find as attractive and just look at actual signs of aging. But apparently a lot of guys can't do that

[lumos]

Guys tend to be biased like that because they're kind of brainwashed by statements like "men age like wine, women like milk". Like in their mind they'll put the best looking old man and compare him to the worst looking old woman. They seem to forget that many men go bald very early, get beer bellies, manboobs, hair in weird places, flab, wrinkles etc. The average old man doesn't look any better than the average old woman.

[BrunetteNYC]

Men, some, truly lose their looks fairly early and yet it's not a big subject in society. Most guys freely express their opinions on how women look without stopping for 5 seconds to look in the mirror and deal with how they look.

Anyway, it all depends on the man or the woman. Some look awesome until they're 50, others lose their looks by 30.

[Asker]

I mean its not like they look bad because of a few wrinkles at this point. They ARE still young, Im just wondering what its gonna be like in 10 or 20 years

[Thor696]

When people say women age less gracefully than men - they aren't looking at college age men and women.

Women go through menopause eventually - and estrogen, which is one of those hormones that keep women looking young and feminine... ceases to produce (unless it's in tiny amounts).

Men never stop producing testosterone (well, most men don't). Testosterone will decrease - but it usually doesn't stop.

And even now, for men - when their testosterone starts decreasing, doctors just put them on HRT for testosterone replacement.

Women can get HRT too - but many docs are hesitant because they're afraid there's a risk of cancer. I think this is bunk.

In addition to the above, bearing children has an effect on women that men don't have to deal with. I have seen some STUNNING women in their 50's - and many of them, most of them... never had children.

BUT - I WILL say this. in my opinion, men fall out of shape too quickly. For instance - in my gym you'll find more women in there each morning when I'm there than men. Women seem to place more of a priority on looking good - even older women.

[Asker]

But if they look like this now, what are they going to look like when they're 30 or 40. Maybe it's not as bad as for women, but life doesn't get easier for men either as they grow older. And at some point a double standard in society can't make up for what they're already behind in terms aging

And women produce estrogen as well as testosterone throghout their lifes. Estrogen isn't much about looks as you age but about fertility.
It's much the same with men, testosterone levels drop drastically around middle age and while you technically can have children until you die, in reality it gets really really difficlt as pass 50

[Thor696]

The drop in female hormone levels is pretty drastic in post-menapausal women.

I'm not getting what you're referring to in the "double-standard" comment.

[Asker]

Well for women it drops pretty fast for men more slowly over the years from their mid 20s on, which by the way those guys aren't old enough for. But it still drops and neither gender stops producing it. And I don't think inecting hormones is a good idea.

Anyways, what I mean that is a clear double standard that men whose looks have clearly aged are still seen as somewhat attractive, while women whose looks have clearly aged are not. But you know if guys age so much faster, eventually that double standard won't help anymore because they'll look so much worse than their female counterparts

[hellionthesage]

Actually men age slower (skin wise). They have more collagen (which gives skin its shape) and people don't start loosing it till after the age of 30 where men loose it at a rate of 1% every year while women lose it at a rate of 2% every year. Its not noticable because men are more likely to not use sunscreen and it could be argued tend to do things that are morer damaging to the skin.

[Asker]

But if you don't lose it until after 30, how do they have wrinkles now?

[hellionthesage]

Enviromental effects. This is just what your body does naturally, that doesn't take into account outside factors which can accelerate the process. For instance if you notice that people who tan frequently also tend to have older looking skin, thats because the radiation (uv/visible light/infrared (heat)) can put additional strain on the skin. So men who do a lot of outdoor activities (sports for instance) will age faster (skin wise) then someone who doesn't. Men tend to be more frequently exposed to those enviromental factors then women in general so that is why the natural difference isn't noticable (in fact this is most likely why men have more collagen and loose it at a slower rate since they historicly where more exposed to the elements then women who did most of the work indoors not outdoors like men) Also alcohol and smoking can wear it down as well so, again, there are many enviromental factors.

[hellionthesage]

I have no idea why I got a down vote since this is empirical fact but, to prove it: www.dermalinstitute.com/.../...lly_Different_.html

[Anonymous]

Premature balding is not a sign of aging, neither is a beer belly - it's just a sing of being excessive in behavior and possibly being out of shape. I assume some of the men's wrinkles are due to worry/lack of sleep due to the rigors and stress of studying while at college/uni, and when things calm down after graduation, likely the worst signs of such wrinkling will subside. I also don't think that's an age bracket in which women age fast. That comes at 40+, at which point some of us men (including myself and what the hay let's throw in George Clooney for a real life idea of this effect!) start looking our best.

[Asker]

Balding is a sign of aging, no doubt about. So sickness but I know none of them are terminally ill. It's also not thinning hair, which might be related to stress it's male pattern baldness, a decreasing hairline and it's not coming back
Same for wrinkles, they're not gonna go away. A beer belly also is a sign of aging, young men gain weight all over, not specifically their gut.

And saying men look best after 40 is an outrageously hilarious statement. That's def not true, youth is attractive in men as well. You can look good after your 20s but you're highly unlikley to look your best. Let's look at Charlie Hunnan for example, he is in his mid 30s still quite attractive, right?
media2.popsugar-assets.com/.../...-Shoot-Video.jpg i.telegraph.co.uk/.../charlie_2700822b.jpg

But in his 20s, damn...

www.trilogiacincuentasombras.com/.../...nnam-7.jpg

And even the young picture you can see the kind of wrinkles I mean on his forehead and they sure as hell didn't go away
It's the same for most famous actors, they look better when they're young and that's normal and natural

[Opinion Owner]

NO, absolutely not. We've all know that guy who was bald in High School. It is a genetic predisposition, just like red hair, hemophilia and color-blindness.

[Asker]

It IS genetic, it comes from your maternal grandfather to be exact. But that's only half the story, it IS also a sign of aging. Cells in your body have died and are not coming back. Not all men bald but those that do def after hitting 20, mostly after 30 or even 40. It comes with age

[Opinion Owner]

NO, because you can't tell how old a person is going to be when they do start balding. It is not a methodology to help determine a man's age in the absence of other data. Else those poor kids with that bizarre disorder who die of old age at 7 or 8 would be called 90 year olds.

[Asker]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male-pattern_hair_loss#Age

Causes: Aging.
Most people know this instinctively but apparently it has to be pointed out. It's the same with grey hair, you can't tell someone's age "in the absence of other data" and yet it happens as you age and is recognized a sign of such.
There is no one biological factor that determine someones age with no other points, that's ridiculous.

Did I hit a sore sport or something, because there's very little doubt about it

[Opinion Owner]

I have had grey hair since 35, same for my mom and her dad. I look 20 years younger than my age today due to having always reverted my grey hair back to my natural color. My premature grey is genetic difference, not sign of aging, as people don't usually get grey hair so young. Therefore grey hair per se has no correlation to aging. Individual variation does not validate a general theory. by the way I hit the sore spot with you, which is why you accused me of being sensitive. I am a stubborn person who only gives up in an argument when I sense my opponent is not going to ever realize that I am right, which just occurred now.

[Opinion Owner]

Oh and by the way if you saw my pic at 25 compared with today, (or ten years ago) you would definitely see that I have improved in appearance the older I got, which is what people tell me when I show pictures to them. You seem to have to be right to validate yourself, whereas I only post things I know to be true.

[Asker]

What people mean when they say you have imrpoved and there are like 20 years apart, is that you have improved relative to your peers, not that you are your personal best. Like george clooney he looke good when he did oceans 11 (at just over 40 ) showbizgeek.com/.../...-2013-05-26-at-11.59.59.png but he still looked old. Compar that to ER i.dailymail.co.uk/.../...00000005DC-46_634x904.jpg when he was 15 years younger, so in his late 20s, no one would argue he got better looking in the meantime

I never said some people get better looking as they age, though I can't think of an example, but it's certainly not the norm as you claimed. Most people look their best in their 20s, possibly early 30s, but not beyond that

[Opinion Owner]

OK the exemplar to end all exemplars is Cary Grant. I honestly think he looked best at around 50-55 (To Catch a Thief, Hitchcock), and not relative to his peers, relative to himself. by the way I don't think Clooney looked old, and I will explain my scientific (not subjective basis) why. Let's assume this is the U. S., and let's assume in today's statistical framework, women live to be 84 and men 76 (please correct me if this is more than slightly inaccurate). This means youth= lowest 1/3rd of age, middle age=middle (duh!) and old age = top 1/3rd age. This means that to look old, a man has to look older than 50. Clooney did not, but he looks oldish to a 24 year-old college graduate, whose opinion on what looks old might be skewed towards thinking looking old means older at a younger age than "officially old". Even to use such brackets is really not usually what is meant as old, as there is also a "really old" category, although in today's world it has become the term "ancient".

[Asker]

Cary Grant was born in 1904, it will be very hard to find pictures of him in his 20s or even 30s. Apearently his earliest work was "the night is the night" when he was 28 blog.retroplanet.com/.../grant-titn.jpg

And I DO think he looks a lot better than in title you suggested bamfstyle.files.wordpress.com/.../tcatx-cu3.jpg I don't really think anyone would argue that he looks better older, looking at those pics next to each other

Well that depends on how you define "old" he had grey hair and deep wrinkles, he looked his age which was 40, which IS old. Or middle aged if you want, doesn't make a difference to me. Point is that he was better looking when he was actually young

[Opinion Owner]

I in no manner shape or form find 40 old, not even subjectively, so we can agree to disagree. I think Grant looked gawky and malnourished in the era of the movies you quoted, especially in the Me West ones; and he certainly had not found his fashion style until at least Penny Serenade with Irene Dunn. Nice talking with you, I admire a person who stands their ground.

[Opinion Owner]

* Mae West

[LonelyLion]

I think it just depends... Gentetics and how you lived your life will play a huge role in how you age.. So I don't think there is a this or that answer. basically eat healthy exersice and dont do drugs and don't drink, take care of your body and you'll be fine. It's much easier for an older woman to look younger though thanks to make up and hair dye. But this is just my advice and opinion... take it however the fuck you wanna take it!

[Asker]

So what you're saying is all those guys just have terrible lifestyles?

[LonelyLion]

I also mentioned genetics... it was the first thing I said...

[Asker]

well what you're saying then is that men collectivley have worse genetics than women, which is essentially saying that men age worse than women

[SonicDare]

I am going to jump in here and explain: the sample size of the men you know in college is not enough to extrapolate a trend applicable to men in general. I can state that studies show that genetically the people who live the longest are Japanese women and I think it was Sardinians (or Corsicans?) in general. This means that if you are in college, say, Chicago, with a high ratio of Polish people, the genetic tendencies of Polish might skew the stats so that you might see more wrinkles and balding if those are indeed a predominant genetic predisposition of that ethnic group (I am not claiming these as specifically as Polish tendencies, but just to show how stats might be skewed by local populations).

[Asker]

@SonicDare I wasn't saying it was a scientific study, just something I noticed. And today I looked around again in a boring lecture and I can't believe how deep some of the guys wrinkles are (for their age). I'm sure Life expectancy in general is highly related to diet and lifestyle and still I'm sure among the people Okinawa, men die younger. There are some clear differences between genders when it comes to aging.

[coconutelixir]

They age about the same overall, it's just that... like you said, there is more societal acceptance of signs of aging on a male versus a female.

In college years, boys start to look like men. Girls start to look like women around 16 and after that it's more gradual until late 20s maybe.

At the end of the day, it's honestly just a useless generalization, because we're all gonna age differently based on genetics, upkeep, lifestyle, and experience.

[RationalMale]

Ehh, depends.

For one, you have to take in that women literally spend quite a bit making themselves look better with makeup.

For two, you can't really compare guys who just let themselves go anymore than you can say all the fat 21 year old girls are proof men age worse.. You can only compare the best possibility to the best possibility--people who took care of themselves and used their potential.

[Jxpxtxr]

I really don't think either gender ages better or worse. There are women that age very well and men that age very well. Lifestyle and skin care of course also play a role next to genetics of course.

[523206720]

I knew a 35 year old who looked 19 and he said how you look has nothing to do with your age and everything to do with how you take care of yourself. I used to like a medical student at my school but now he has wrinkles on his face.

[AlwaysBelieving]

I'm 36 and people say I look 22 - 26. It's a combo of taking care of yourself and genes.

[girlinthemirror]

it all depends...
women have to look good, younf&fresh and with age its just more difficult for them, men who dont loose hair, exercise and dont have beer belly can still look good as they r age, with age men tend to look even more manly (again, if they keep all their hair on head and keep in shape)

[bryon]

All people that live hard ( party and stay up too much ) seem to age faster. It robs the body of everything designed to re energize the body. At some point it starts to drag you down and in some it shows more than it does in others

[Applefan1]

No, they actually say men age better than women do. Generally speaking.

[Asker]

I know they said, I even said in my question I know they said that, it just doesn't conform with what I see in reality, hence the question

[Applefan1]

Hmmm... haha do you know now. Well... To be honest I think you are wrong. I see the opposite of what you think. However, it might vary between different parts of the country or world.

[Octavius]

That has nothing to do with "aging" if they are having that crap at 21. That's their genetics. There's dude in their 30s and even 40s that still get carded.

[Asker]

But like all of them are like that, so they just all have bad genetics?

[Octavius]

Yes. My dad is in his 60s and people think he looks 40. He eats horribly and doesn't exercise at all so it has nothing to do with his diet. I have a brother who's closing in on 30 and people still think he looks like he's exiting high school.

[Asker]

Well I'm not saying there aren't exceptions but most of them... I mean I don't know what they're gonna look like in 30 or 40 years but as of now it looks like it's going downhill very rapidly. I've been in college 4 years and they look like it took 10 out of their lives.

Also I don't think 40 and 60 is a good comparison. For me anyways 40 ,50 and 60 all kinda looks the same

[COCOCHANEL]

it really really really depends on genetics and lifestyle

[JayneW]

I think it depends how well people look after themselves, amount of sun exposure, etc. Not sure if men age faster than women - I certainly feel my age at the moment!!!

[cavmanier]

It depends on the person. I don't have deep wrinkles or sun damage and I weigh about what I did at 16. I'm just in better shape now.

[Dtegesd123]

I heard shaving helps skin renewal and slow down aging process. So I'm saying men age slower in the face

[Asker]

well you don't typically get wrinkles where your beard is until late in life

[Dtegesd123]

true but it could start to sage around your 40s

[MrTexan37]

Its cause of college life they went from drinking soda and water at home to power chugging beer at frat parties or doing drugs all the time instead of sometimes then add in the stress of classes and work

[rjroy3]

Lifestyle. Those guys are probably up late at not, not getting good sleep, not eating the best and partying.

[Prochnost]

Heh, bald and beer bellies.
A sign of crazy past girlfriends & a few 'good'
friends 😅

[TJ-Laser]

oh yeah, i can vouch for that. im bald as a baby and im only 30. the beer belly is courtesy of my friends lol

[Asker]

@TJ-Laser It's still aging fast and early

[faoifjadf]

I don't think men do all that much better than women.

But, in the area of aging, I think we win in that department. Lol

[kartoos]

I don't know about the whole debate but I feel I'm fucking forever young because I haven't changed from 18-22. No changes in height or physique or even face list lol

[Drast]

Women use more face products not only for actual skin repair, but cover the signs of aging as well. This is probably the reason the men seem to be aging faster at your college

[Asker]

I don't think you can really cover wrinkles with make up

[Drast]

You can do other things though like hide crows feet, and overall improve texture of skin, which results In a more youthful appearance.

[Asker]

You know what I don't think you can. I don't know about crows feet, I've never had to deal with them, but for the most part if you have bad skin it'll still look bad with lotion and make up on it. It only makes it worse in the long run

What DOES help is good nutrition and enough water and I'm not sure if guys in general just care less about that, but either way, it doesn't change the result

[NotMyUsername15]

... you fucking wish men aged worst, that saying of women aging like milk exists for a reason.

[springocelot]

generally, it's the other way around
but ultimately, it depends on genes and lifestyle

[justbanANNAz]

i actually think they age better IN GENERAL.
some just turn out to be really hot lol.

[YusiBear]

I'm 18 and people say I look 12-16. Though they could be making fun.

In my family, we all look really young for our age...

[BackInGame]

women age like milk. just look at panic they start to make when they approach 30s.

[Asker]

did you actually read what I said?

[BackInGame]

M. I. L. K. theory.

[dudegrt09]

Not really, in fact studies have concluded that men in general become more attractive with age... they are most attractive when they're 31

[Asker]

If you had read my question you would have seen that I specifically asked you to take out what you find attractive and look at just actual signs of aging. I don't know why I have to repeat that so much to the guys here?

[dudegrt09]

lot of things can lead to early ageing for men, especially in college guys do a lot of drugs especially marijuana and lot of alcohol too... ageing is a phenomenon which depends on the individual's genes and lifestyle more than gender, so it could be said that ageing is not so much related to gender. However my point was various studies have concluded that men age better 'in genreral'... but then again these studies are conducted on basis of perception of women about older men...

[dudegrt09]

*in case of college guys

[Anonymous]

Some do, some don't. I think aging is pretty individual and depends on genetics, lifestyle and health more than sex.

[Anonymous]

No, men generally age better than women physically, or at least they have to potential to, if they don't let themselves go too much.

[MrDetermined]

Women age much faster than Men. And look worse as well.

[NotAnother_RedHead]

Oh I think men definitely age worse on average. Exception is celebrities both men and women who can afford upkeep.

[Anonymous]

Women actually age worse than men. More guys look better as they get older than women do.

[Asker]

did you actually read what I said?

[Opinion Owner]

This is the same response you've given to every answer that says men age better than women. Seems like you can't handle a different opinion or something.

[Asker]

I said the same thing because they ignored the same part of my question

[Opinion Owner]

You know everything you've mentioned isn't applied to just one gender right? It's a combination of genes and taking care of yourself.

[Anonymous]

I think an older guy can look legitimately good, while an older woman can look good for her age.

[Asker]

did you actually read what I said?

[SilenRose]

In my area men age worse then women.

[Ihav2fart]

Na 26 but look like 20 o_o

[Anonymous]

Men and women age at the same rate. Lets be real.

[Anonymous]

Why do men age worse?

Seriously?

[Anonymous]

White genes are whack.

[bustas]

some of them , sure

[Anonymous]

Lol, no they don't.