Mater specialists are urging parents to be aware of the dangers of the bone-smashing social media trend which is growing in popularity among young men keen to improve their appearance.
The dangerous TikTok trend involves influencers targeting young boys and men and encouraging them to take a hammer and repeatedly hit their cheekbones and jaw to create micro fractures in an attempt to reshape facial features.
The self-harm technique, dubbed “looksmaxxing”, took off in the U.S. and is now growing in popularity in Australia and penetrating the social media feeds of young men.
Dr Diana Kennedy, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Mater Private Hospital Brisbane, said the dangerous TikTok trend could cause long-term and permanent damage.
“Repeated trauma to the face with a hammer or blunt object can cause soft tissue swelling, and bony microfractures, but this does not translate to improved appearance,” Dr Kennedy said.
“This harmful and dangerous trend is based on gross misinformation born from the toxic masculinity movement.
“You only have to look at a UFC fighter or a boxer's face to see how repeated trauma can lead to unfavourable scar tissue, possible nerve damage and likely permanent disfigurement.”
Dr Kennedy said it’s difficult to moderate the force of a hammer or blunt object and people can fracture or break bones fairly easily, which could lead to surgery, nerve damage and even permanent disfigurement.
“Fractures of the jaw or cheek could also impact your bite, damage teeth and impact your ability to chew properly, so people could potentially end up with long-term problems,” Dr Kennedy said.
“In severe or repetitive cases of this kind of self-harm, emergency surgery may be required to drain blood collections or fix broken bones.”
Many of the videos promoting the bone-smashing technique inaccurately misinterpret a theory called Wolff’s Law, which recognises that bones get stronger when regular stress is exerted on them, often with weights or regular exercise.
“In the short term, blows to the face will create swelling and might emulate cosmetic injections or cheek implants, but the long-term risk of poor scarring and disfigurement is significant,” Dr Kennedy said.
“Repeated blows to bones could potentially cause residual scarring and face abnormalities which will become more apparent as people age and lose soft tissue in their face.”
Dr Kennedy said faces change naturally as people age and during puberty, and noted that some of the influencers touting face smashing have had cosmetic enhancements.
“Bone-smashing will definitely not give you a chiselled jawline or cheekbones, but it could cause permanent disfiguration,” Dr Kennedy said.
“Anyone keen to change their appearance should seek the advice of a medical expert and never resort to do-it-yourself treatments at home.”
