Recently, the term ‘looksmaxxing’ has become popular across different social media platforms. It is a social media trend that is about improving appearance, sometimes through healthy changes but also through extreme trends or dangerous procedures.
As an aesthetics doctor, Dr Zack sees the effects of this trend every day. In some ways, it shows that people are becoming interested in self-improvement. But in other ways, looksmaxxing has led to unrealistic expectations and unsafe practices.
It’s important to understand early on that not everything seen online is achievable or appropriate for every face, and true improvement should always work with your natural anatomy rather than against it.
What is Looksmaxxing?
Looksmaxxing is a term used to describe attempts to improve physical appearance through lifestyle changes, grooming, fitness, skincare, or aesthetic treatments. While some forms of looksmaxxing focus on healthy, evidence-based improvements, others promote extreme or unsafe practices driven by online trends rather than medical guidance.
How to do Looksmaxxing Safely
Not all looksmaxxing is problematic. Some aspects of it align with evidence-based ways to improve appearance and overall wellbeing.
Good Skincare Basics and Safe Treatments: Taking care of your skin with the correct skincare products, sun protection and safe treatments from a qualified medical professional helps confidence inside and out.
Grooming and Hair Choices: A haircut or beard trim that suits your face can make a noticeable difference to balance and symmetry.
Fitness and Posture: Keeping on top of your physical health with regular exercise helps to improve your overall health.
Style and Presentation: Clothes that complement your proportions and express your personality are a great way to express yourself.
These habits are sustainable, safe and accessible to most people.
Unsafe Practices of Looksmaxxing
Unfortunately, many online looksmaxxing communities promote unsafe or dangerous practices.
DIY Procedures: Carrying out procedures like injecting fillers or ‘bone-smashing’at home poses a serious risk and can result in long-term harm. Bone-smashing involves purposely applying blunt force trauma to facial bones, in the false hopes that it would heal in a more chiselled shape.
Extreme Dieting and Over-Exercising: These can lead to physical injury, hormonal disruption, and even psychological harm.
Misuse of Hormones or Medication: This is one of the most dangerous risks of looksmaxxing coming from online advice and can have permanent consequences.
Unrealistic Expectations: Heavily filtered or exaggerated transformation photos create pressure to achieve results that are not physically possible.
Chasing Trends: What works for one person’s anatomy may not work for another. Trends change constantly, but your bone structure and facial harmony should always guide your decisions.
Aesthetic Medicine’s Role in Looksmaxxing
Medical aesthetics like dermal filler, when practised ethically, can offer safe and natural enhancements. When treating patients, Dr Zack focuses on proportions, long-term harmony and individual anatomy. This is why understanding what the public sees as attractive matters:
“As cosmetic doctors, we need to understand what the public considers attractive – as they are our customers.” – Dr Zack Ally
However, that understanding must be combined with ethical judgement, medical training, and an appreciation for natural outcomes.
Facial Balancing and Profile Harmonisation
One of the most common treatments men request today is profile enhancement or balancing with dermal fillers. Based on the golden facial ratio, the ideal masculine features are defined by the following characteristics:
- A pronounced brow ridge with thick, straight, and low-set eyebrows.
- A “hunter eye” shape with minimal upper eyelid exposure and a positive canthal tilt.
- A raised, straight nasal radix with a 90-degree nasophiltrum angle.
- Prominent, low-set cheekbones with defined subzygomatic hollows and a compact midface structure.
- A strong, well-defined, broad jawline that aligns with the outer width of the cheekbones (Bizygomatic to Bigonial ratio of 1:1).
- A tall ramus with strong jaw projection and a facial convexity angle between 165-175 degrees.
- A square, well-defined chin aligned with the width of the mouth corners.
- Square, wide lips with an equal top-to-bottom lip ratio (1:1 ratio).
The goal is never to change someone’s identity but to create balance, structure and a refreshed appearance that still looks like them.
The Healthy Approach to Looksmaxxing
If you want to look into improving your appearance or making a few small tweaks, it is always best to start with healthy habits. You should avoid any shortcuts or DIY procedures. It is essential for your health to work with qualified medical professionals to focus on natural and safe changes, rather than drastic transformations. The best results should still look like you, just more confident and above all, safe.
Looksmaxxing does not need to be something to obsess over or something harmful. When practised in a safe way with healthy habits, realistic expectations and professional medical care, it will result in improved confidence and wellbeing.
If you’re considering aesthetic treatments, a personalised consultation is the safest way to understand what’s right for your facial structure, goals and long-term health. For a bespoke, medically-led treatment plan, book a consultation with Dr Zack Ally here.
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