TREND SPOTLIGHT: LOOKSMAXXING

Editorial assistant Michelle Duffield looks at how cosmetic alterations to increase one’s sexual market value has reshaped the faces of many men

Women are not the only ones feeling the pressure to alter their physical appearance to fit the stereotypical western ideal of ‘beauty’.

“Societal pressures can lead to a narrow definition of attractiveness, which is detrimental not only to mental health but also to the broader understanding of beauty,” comments Claudia Brand, aesthetic nurse prescriber at 111 Harley St.

The beast that is social media has focussed its gaze on men’s insecurities. From chiselled jaws to pouty lips and the trending ‘hunter eyes’, men have started to look from mirror to screen and see features that aren’t considered desirable.

‘Looksmaxxing ’ has become a mainstream trend online, with men aiming to ‘maximise’ their looks in an attempt to improve themselves and increase their sexual market value. But how do practitioners and professionals in the industry deal with this and where did it come from?

FOR MOST MEN, IT STARTED WITH MUSCLES

With every novel, movie and heroic protagonist being built like an Action Man, it comes as no surprise that most young men fear they aren’t buff enough.

Consultant plastic surgeon Mr Tunc Tiyaki has seen “a rise in men coming in over the years with very specific requests, often tied to these online aesthetic standards.”

In today’s tech generation, many men take to social media where they begin to record their fitness journey and transformation. This can attract online trolls to their comment sections, taking each opportunity to point out that they “forgot to work out their faces”, causing men to find new insecurities they may have never noticed before. Much like a chin pimple, once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Thus, started the online community of looksmaxxing: a group of males, hooked on the desire to enhance their faces. This community has birthed esoteric terms such as interpupillary distance (IPDs, i.e. the gap between the eyes) canthal tilt (the angles of the eyes), and mewing (a tongue exercise that supposedly improves the shape of the jaw).

Looksmaxxing has been around for at least 10 years, but recently it has surged from niche forums and Reddit threads into mainstream social media, with TikTok playing a major role.

The trend advocates sharp, defined jawlines, full lips, and sculpted cheekbones, along with ‘hunter’ eyes, characterised by a positive canthal tilt, i.e. a slight downward tilt toward the nose.

Mr Tiryaki explains that, while enhancing a jawline or improving eye shape can absolutely be done, it must be aligned with the patient’s unique anatomy.

“My philosophy is that aesthetic treatments should be subtle and natural. I’m not here to give you someone else’s jawline or eyes; I’m here to enhance your features. So, when we talk about canthal tilt or jaw definition, I make sure the patient understands that achieving natural harmony is more important than chasing a one-size-f its-all beauty standard.”

SOFTMAXXING VS HARDMAXXING

This trend ranges from ‘softmaxxing ’, tweaks such as hair styling, skincare remedies, diets and exercise regimes, to ‘hardmaxxing ’, where men go under the knife for more extreme fixes such as smoothing out the nose, or the increasing demand around chin surgery.

One method, termed ‘bone-smashing ’, has received a lot of scepticism as an extreme technique that involves taking a hammer to your face to promote a more ‘manly’ regrowth when the bones repair; however, there is little evidence that anyone is doing this.

Dr Mehmet Manisali, a maxillofacial surgeon based on Harley Street, claims that there has been an increase in inquiries from young men around chin alterations. At least once a fortnight, Dr Manisali performs chin surgery, where the procedure involves exposing the chin bone inside the mouth, under the bottom front teeth, sawing off the end of it and repositioning it with a titanium plate. The bone then grows back to fill the gap, which can push the chin down or forward by several millimetres.

Manisali charges roughly £10,000 for the procedure; however, he makes sure to question patients over several meetings, often gently turning them down. In such consultations, he decides if the patient is somebody for whom a minor change might be a major confidence booster, or somebody with unrealistic expectations, marking the first step toward an addictive disaster.

“There’s always a risk when people chase an ideal that doesn’t exist,” warns Mr Tiryaki. “Trying to force the face into certain rigid beauty ideals, like a perfectly chiselled jaw, often leads to over-treatment or results that look artificial. The biggest risk is losing facial balance. Our faces are unique, and when you start altering them too much, especially for fleeting trends, you can end up looking unnatural.”

“The first step is always a thorough consultation,” states Mr Tiryaki. “If a patient is coming in with unrealistic expectations or signs of body dysmorphia, I take extra care to assess their mental and emotional well-being. If someone’s idea of self-improvement is driven by insecurity or obsession, surgery won’t solve that.” As social media continues to add to its tally of victims of body dysmorphia, it’s more important now than ever to thoroughly consult patients on their motivations for coming to you before they undergo a treatment they may regret. aestheticmed.co.uk