You could go for plastic surgery, too-tight jeans or a divorce. But there is a painless way for any ageing male to recapture some of his lost youth: simply invest in hair straighteners.

Young British men have been ironing their hair in increasing numbers for years now. For the uninitiated, it is not immediately apparent that the spikily chopped, swoopy-fringed or Afghan-houndishly lustrous ’dos popular among teenagers and early twentysomethings have been achieved with ceramic tongs – but they have. Start looking out for straightened man-hair and you’ll see it everywhere, from the skinny jeans-wearing youth on the streets to your TV (Hollyoaks, Gossip Girl, The X Factor and Match of The Day).

Mark Hill, British hairdresser of the year (twice) and entrepreneur, pitched Boots one of the first male hair-straightening products, his Straight & Define Styler (£39.99; boots.com) – last year, it was its No 2 bestselling hair straightener. Boots won’t discuss numbers, but Hill says it’s tens of thousands. “I’ve known young guys who use Sellotape on their fringes to keep them flat,” says Hill, happily. The market-leading brand is ghd, which reports that 25 per cent of its products are purchased by males – even though it sells no straighteners specifically for men. The most male-friendly ghd product (narrow enough to handle shorter hair) is its IV Styler (£96.99; amazon.co.uk). So if you’re an older man in search of a younger vibe, why not try straighteners? You’ve got nothing to lose but your hair – unless it’s fallen out already.

tokenmale@thetimes.co.uk