Trends come and go all the time, but when they have potentially detrimental effects on your health, that's when it's time to take note. While everyone was quick to warn us why eating Tide Pods probably wasn't for the best, there's been an alarming acceptance of the 'looksmaxxing' trend.
While it might seem innocuous for young men to practise mewing in an attempt to get a more prominent jawline, the idea of ‘softmaxxing’ with a morning skincare routine is a far cry from the more extreme corners of looksmaxxing.
With the rise of streamers like Braden "Clavicular" Peters and Androgoenic, there are continued concerns about the messages being sent out to impressionable young men. Even though many think the concept of 'bone smashing' isn't actually being done by the likes of Clavicular, the recent popularity surrounding Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere shows how easily the younger generation of men is consuming content through platforms like TikTok and Kick.
What looksmaxxing trends are the most popular?
These concerns are being shared by the medical community, with Dr. Baldeep Farmah, an aesthetic doctor at Dr Aesthetica, warning how he regularly treats men in their 20s and 30s who want to achieve the 'perfect' look. Despite beauty being in the eye of the beholder, and there obviously being no universal standard for the perfect man, it's said that searchers for 'looksmaxxing' have surged in the United Kingdom.
Given that looksmaxxing is even more popular in the USA, Google Trends suggests the same term has soared by as much as 530% since the start of 2026.
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With a background in psychiatry, Farmah claims to have a clinical perspective on the physical and mental health risks of looksmaxxing. Looking at the five most common looksmaxxing techniques and how dangerous they are, Farmah has highlighted bone smashing as one to be aware of.
Bone smashing
Farmah notes that young men are supposedly hitting their faces with rocks, hammers, and even glass bottles while citing Wolff's Law as a real scientific principle. While the theory is that small fractures can cause bones to grow back stronger, Wolff's Law makes no mention of bones responding to blunt force trauma. Importantly, there is 'zero' clinical evidence that it works, although some looksmaxxing forums include alarming posts where visible bruising claims to be proof that bone smashing is 'working'.
Mewing
Although much less dangerous than bone smashing, there are similar myths surrounding the effectiveness of mewing. By pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth, you're supposedly able to reshape your jawline in a technique created by orthodontist John Mew. The British orthodontist has since had his dental licence revoked by the General Dental Council, and although proper tongue posture is standard orthodontic advice for supporting health development, there's no credible research on jaw restructuring. As for all those shaped jawlines on looksmaxxing forums, they tend to be down to puberty, weight loss, or some clever camera angles.
DIY drug stacks
Described as the most dangerous looksmaxxing trend, the idea of children taking prescription medications without medical oversight is a major cause for concern. Forums regularly share lists for cocktails of drugs like human growth hormone (HGH) and aromasin (used in breast cancer treatment), which, when 'stacked' together, claim to improve your facial structure and skin. Farmah reiterates that a 2024 community survey found that 52% of those on the biggest looksmaxxing forum were under the age of 18. Side effects of these prescription medications include disruption of hormones, liver damage, and even stunted bone growth in adolescents. With kids taking these on the advice of anonymous accounts, it should absolutely be taken more seriously.
Skincare routines
More in the realms of 'softmaxxing', Farmah praises consistent skincare with SFP, retinoids, and gentle cleansers to deliver genuine results without risks. For those who want to look better and don't want to resort to more extreme methods, this is the best entry point.
Facial contouring
Finally, people who want a more defined facial structure are able to get contouring through dermal fillers. Still, this should only be done by registered and inspected medical professionals.
Farmah concludes that while looksmaxxing has normalized the positives of young men caring how they look without shame, there are obvious issues: "But the advice is coming from anonymous accounts, not medical professionals.
“When 52% of your forum users are under 18, and they're sharing drug stacks and hitting their faces with hammers, the gap between intention and harm is serious."
He states that the problem is when young men try to bypass medicine: "Mewing won't restructure an adult jaw. Bonesmashing won't give you cheekbones. What it might give you is a fracture."
"Start with skincare and nutrition. Get your body fat down through diet and exercise, because that's the single biggest driver of facial definition. If you still want more after that, see a qualified doctor. Not a forum. Not a TikTok account. A doctor."