Forget lifespan. Men are now obsessed with “Hotspan”

The word is hotspan.

It's the number of years a man stays attractive, offered up alongside healthspan and lifespan. It's why middle-aged men are booking Botox and jawline work in record numbers.

These types of procedures would have gotten them mocked twenty years ago but are now becoming much more mainstream, with as many as 15% of cosmetic surgeries being performed on men.

It's driven by a frustration many men face when looking in the mirror—realizing their mental self does not line up with the physical self they see looking back.

Per 4x New York Times bestselling author and longevity expert Dave Asprey, "What changed is pretty straightforward. Men figured out that looking good and feeling powerful are the same thing. Previous generations treated those as separate. Today's guy knows his body is the foundation everything else runs on."

How things have evolved

For decades, longevity was sold to men as a story of optimization.

Getting your bloodwork, VO2 max, grip strength, cold plunge, retinol—it was all a form of engineering that appealed to traditional masculinity. Today, aesthetics are increasingly playing a role in this equation. And this hotspan is the latest spinoff from the viral looksmaxxing trend.

The worry about looking older became a matter of tracking biological age against chronological age , a distinction the aging-research literature takes seriously and the wellness market borrowed wholesale.

But really, these trends are all interrelated in many ways—a byproduct of overall health and wellness. That said, there are some important distinctions between them.

So what can men do today to stack the deck in their favor, without having to go under the knife?

One, avoid everything nicotine

Nicotine products, and especially smoking, have an incredibly corrosive effect on microvascular circulation—but also on your skin.

Nicotine restricts the circulation of oxygen and nutrients your skin needs to repair itself and maintain healthy collagen levels.

Smoking takes this an entire level higher.

Two, address hair loss early

Per cosmetic surgeon Dr. Gary Linkov, two of the easiest things a man can do to preserve a more youthful look are to maintain a jawline and hairline.

Importantly, hair loss is not generally a sign of poor health—especially in a man as he ages. But if you want to keep your hair, it's best to address this sooner than later. It is a progressive condition. If you've already lost much of your hair and want to get more, there are also procedures to reverse those effects.

I currently take finasteride, which is a generic form of Propecia, and have been taking it for 20 years. The men in my family tend to lose lots of hair by middle age. I'm 42 and have much more hair than they did in the pictures I've seen.

Yes, this is a cosmetic issue. I'm open about the fact that I don't want to lose my hair—and if you feel the same, know there are pathways to protect or even restore your hairline.

Three, I know you're tired of it, but look at this

Below, you're looking at a trucker who drove for decades, with one side of his face exposed to the sun.

Here's the catch: he may not have even noticed any sunburn while working. The windows of a truck block UVB rays, which tend to burn—but they don't block UVA rays, which go deep into the skin and still cause damage.

Don't assume a lack of sunburn means you don't need sunscreen. And make sure you wear broad-spectrum sunscreen. Standard sunscreen typically only blocks UVB rays.

Remember, your skin is an organ just like the rest of your body. The tricky thing is that you may not notice this skin damage day-to-day, but it tends to accumulate over time—putting you at risk for skin cancer, especially if you have light skin.

Four, stay active

I recently saw a friend and was shocked by his appearance. Before, he had sunken eyes and pale skin. He'd been going through depression, not leaving his house much, and just seemed generally sad.

In the year since I'd seen him, he'd sought out treatment and begun a rigorous exercise routine. There was color in his face and he'd lost weight. He had a pep in his step and was full of confidence.

It was clear he was living a much healthier life and had become more attractive as a result. Much of this "hotspan" craze is really about living a good life and staying active. This body movement and exercise is shown to put more color in your face because of the increase in blood flow and vascularity.

Five, ensure your jawline stays intact

Your overall health is powerfully correlated to your ability to manage your weight.

One of the reasons the lack of a jawline is generally perceived as less attractive is because it can reflect poor health. The challenge is that we're proven to overgeneralize our impressions of others simply by glancing at their face.

We all have different genetics, and the presence of a jawline doesn't universally determine attractiveness. But if looking your best is important to you, this is something to consider.

As a final caution, I'd also remind people that while attractiveness and good health are correlated, don't trick yourself into thinking that being attractive is automatic proof your body is in good shape. An annual consultation with your physician should always round out any health initiative.