“Looksmaxxing” has moved from small online forums to one of TikTok’s biggest appearance trends.
Young men now openly talk about changing their faces to improve what James, a forum user who joined the community around 2015, called their “s*xual market value.”
He said the goal was to improve facial features like jawlines, eyes, noses, and chins to become more attractive. Sharp jaws, hunter eyes, fuller lips, and high cheekbones have become the ideal look.
Influencers like Kareem Shami, Clavicular, and Androgenic are some of the biggest names in the movement. Their before-and-after videos, face ratings, glow-up guides, and transformation posts get millions of views.
Moreover, many teenage boys now follow them for advice, like they would follow fitness creators. Some promote simple “softmaxxing” methods like skincare, gym routines, hairstyles, and mewing. Others discuss “hardmaxxing,” which includes chin implants, jaw fillers, and even dangerous trends like bone smashing.
Bone smashing is one of the most extreme trends in looksmaxxing. People believe hitting facial bones repeatedly can create a stronger jawline, better cheekbones, and more “masculine” features.
To understand if that is true, we spoke to Dr. Devanshu Kalra, a plastic surgeon from India. He has over six years of post-super-specialty experience and holds an MBBS, an MS in General Surgery, an MCh in Burns and Plastic Surgery, along with fellowships in Advanced Cosmetic Surgery and Hair Restoration Surgery.
Dr. Kalra clearly said bone smashing has no medical support. “There’s no scientific data to support bone smashing,” he explained. “People think it creates micro trauma on bones, making stronger bones and better jawlines, brow hoods, and cheeks. Actually, it’s not.”
He further added that instead of helping, it can damage soft tissues, cause facial nerve paralysis, and create facial asymmetry.
For real chin and jaw enhancement, he explained that the safer options are implants or fillers.
“Implants are surgical and permanent, while fillers are non-surgical but temporary and need to be repeated,” he said.
He also shared that more men are choosing cosmetic procedures today. The most common ones in his practice are hair transplants, gynecomastia surgery, jawline fillers, abdominal liposuction, and laser facial resurfacing.
Still, he emphasized that people need realistic expectations.
“You come out of OT, not heaven,” he said.
He advises patients not to bring celebrity or filtered photos as reference points since every procedure needs recovery time, and results also need maintenance.
With before-and-after collages of influencers like Kareem, Clavicular, and Androgenic going viral every day, more young men are comparing themselves to these transformations.
Here are some of the most talked-about looksmaxxing influencers and their before-and-after photos, showing just how much this trend is changing faces and the pressure around them.
