Broken jaw, shattered confidence: How to help young men avoid risks of looksmaxxing
July 21, 2026
If you've recently heard new slang terms such as "mogging" or "mewing," you've encountered a controversial new digital subculture called looksmaxxing.
Looksmaxxing is part of the growing “manosphere” digital subculture on social media aimed at vulnerable teen boys and young men. Influencers lure viewers with promises of a hypermasculine appearance, wealth, and success.
Looksmaxxing influencers encourage young men to take part in unhealthy, sometimes dangerous activities to maximize their physical attractiveness:
- Extreme diet and exercise routines
- Tongue placement on the roof of the mouth (mewing) to make the cheeks look slimmer
- Tanmaxxing, or excessive sun exposure with oils and gels to achieve a tan
- Bone smashing – repeatedly hitting the facial bones of the cheeks and jaw to cause small breaks in the bones and stimulate healing to create a more defined, masculine look
- Elective, sometimes extreme cosmetic surgery to enhance the chin, jawline, lips, nose, and hairline
- Bone-extending procedures to gain height
The emergence of looksmaxxing parallels a growing prevalence of mental health challenges among young men. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 28% of male high school students reported feelings of sadness and hopelessness in 2023, up from 21% in 2013. Up to 80% of adolescent boys report body dissatisfaction, according to a separate study from the National Institutes of Health.
Next to none of the looksmaxxing social media influencers have healthcare or medical training. But their recommendations can cause real physical harm, and the emphasis on outshining (mogging) young men whom they deem inferior can lead to toxic competitiveness and emotional damage.
While it is good to see young people interested in feeling and looking their best, there are much safer, more realistic, and longer-lasting ways to achieve health goals. As parents and healthcare professionals, it is our job to understand the pressures young men are facing and guide them on a healthier path.
“One of the dangers of social media is that everybody looks like they're always happy and on vacation and having a great time. And it creates an image that everybody who is home looking at their phone would want to live, but it's not a true representation.”
Christine Stiles, M.D.Clinical Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern
Common looksmaxxing trends and risks
Looksmaxxing recommendations typically come in two forms:
- Softmaxxing: Extreme skin care routines, workouts, supplementation, severe diet restrictions, and overconsumption of nutrients such as protein.
- Hardmaxxing: Anabolic steroid use, cosmetic surgery, and self-mutilation such as bone smashing.
Some of the procedures that looksmaxxing influencers recommend are major and permanent surgeries:
- Bimaxillary osteotomy: This surgery changes the positions of the upper and lower jaws, which are then held in place with surgical screws.
- LeFort 1 maxillary advancement: This surgery separates the upper jaw from the skull, moves it forward, and screws it into place.
- Rhinoplasty: Commonly called a nose job, this surgery changes the shape of the nose.
- Blepharoplasty: This procedure will raise the eyelids to correct drooping or puffiness.
Surgeries to modify the bone structure of the face are major procedures that are typically recommended only for people with congenital deformities or facial disfiguration from accidents. While rhinoplasty and blepharoplasty are common cosmetic surgeries, they are more typical among adults age 30-54 than people younger than 30.
Bone smashing is one of the most concerning practices in the looksmaxxing subculture. It can cause permanent harm to the skin and subcutaneous tissue, leading to fat necrosis (death of the healthy fat in the face) and bone damage, generating a permanently disfigured face rather than the desired "chiseled" jaw. This can lead to a long-term cycle of corrective procedures, with a high cost to patients’ wallets, time, and mental and physical health.
Looksmaxxing regrets
The popular TikTok and YouTube creator Anastasia "Stassie" Karanikolaou was 18 when she got a "Brazilian butt lift," a procedure to enhance her buttocks. Ten years later in 2025, she decided to have the procedure reversed. People.com reported that Karanikolaou had said she didn’t understand the extent of the surgery and that she’d felt pressured to join the trend. Via social media, she shared that she was excited to feel more comfortable in her own skin.
Tips to avoid risky looksmaxxing
Similar to the faux-health marketing that women have encountered for decades, looksmaxxing content is generally not founded in scientific research. Avoiding potential health risks starts with thinking critically about the content and the person giving the advice.
Look for credentials
Encourage young people to look for medical credentials and authority of anyone who is offering health or medical advice. Learning about a new hair style or an up-and-coming fashion brand from an influencer is one thing. People should only take medical advice from qualified, credentialed professionals speaking to their specific areas of expertise.
Surgeons in the UT Southwestern Department of Plastic Surgery are board-certified, which means we have special training in particular areas and procedures, such as facial plastic surgery. Our goal is to help patients feel good and function well in their skin – not to sell potentially harmful products and services.
Remember: Social media isn’t reality
Teens’ bodies are still changing. Young men will typically have softer, rounder faces than fully mature men, and that is a normal part of growth and development.
Looksmaxxers and other social media influencers can use expertly crafted lighting, makeup, and video editing to appear older and more developed than they are. The same is true for their other claims: Wealth, relationships, and happiness are easy to fake when the cameras are rolling.
Get an expert opinion
There is nothing wrong with a young person wanting to feel better in their own skin. But there are aspects of appearance that can be changed in healthy ways and those that cannot.
Young people can benefit from talking with a credible doctor about what’s normal for their age and their natural development, as well as advice on diet, exercise, and cosmetic procedures that they encounter online. And if the doctor agrees it is safe, there are nonsurgical ways to enhance the facial appearance, such as:
- Botox to reduce wrinkles and lines
- Fillers to increase facial volume
- Laser therapy to smooth skin and reduce blemishes
If a young person is considering cosmetic surgery, a board-certified plastic surgeon can provide detailed and impartial insights on which procedures would work best to meet their goals – and the realistic outcomes they can expect. Our plastic surgeons use the Vectra 3D imaging system to provide a preview of how procedures such as liposuction, eyelid surgery, or jaw realignment could change a patient’s appearance.
Getting cosmetic surgery should be about improving quality of life without taking unnecessary risks or promising unrealistic outcomes. Encourage the young men in your life to talk with a medical expert before committing to a potentially life-altering health regimen or cosmetic procedure.
To talk with an expert about cosmetic surgery options, make an appointment by calling 214-645-2353 or request an appointment online.
