By SETH KUGEL

Five years ago, when a fourth horizontal line appeared on the forehead of Cody E. Lee, he knew he had his family’s wrinkle gene.
“That was the point at which I said, ‘I’m going to get some help here,’” said Mr. Lee, who is 40 and manages a small business in San Francisco. “I think it’s fine having some lines or wrinkles on your face, but I wanted to avoid those deep impressions.”
Not long ago, those wrinkles might have been thought of as masculine signs of wisdom or maturity. But that sentiment appears to be changing as doctors report a steady stream of men signing up for Botox injections.
Many of those male patients, including Mr. Lee, are pleased with the results. His colleagues say he looks younger than he did in an office party photo taken eight years ago.
Allergan has started marketing more directly to men. There is a prominent pitch on the Botox Web site (www.botoxcosmetic. com), noting that the product “is certainly not just for women.”
Doctors say the most common reasons male patients cite for using Botox include looking better for social and romantic ends, succumbing to their wives’ encouragement (or demands), and, perhaps most important, a desire to remain competitive in the workplace, especially for those in finance and business.
Many doctors who watched the United States vice-presidential debate are convinced that Joe Biden may be one of those men who use Botox, though the Biden camp has denied it.
“In general, the pressures for aging are far greater for women,” said Dr. Alan Matarasso, a plastic surgeon in Manhattan. “However, when we see a blip in the economy and how many people are going to be laid off today, you now have a 40- or 50-year-old advertising or bank or media person looking for a job,” said Dr. Matarasso. “People have a tendency to look for vibrancy and youth. At times of economic downturns you will often see greater interest. ”
The procedure eliminates or reduces wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing and atrophying the facial muscles that cause them. But men often have thicker skin and stronger muscles, doctors say, and frequently require higher doses. Men are more likely to complain of angry brows and horizontal forehead lines; women are often more concerned about vertical lines that start between their eyes.
Michael Speaker, a 51-year-old medical consultant in San Diego, was a hairdresser when he first tried Botox.
“When you stand in front of a mirror for 22 years, you know exactly what you look like,” said Mr. Speaker .
He had one unpleasant experience when a doctor gave him a Botox injection in his lower chin: he developed a lisp that lasted three months.
Still, the bad experience did not dilute Mr. Speaker’s enthusiasm. To stay young, he is convinced, “nothing can do the job like Botox.”