Is looksmaxxing healthy? What the evidence says (2026)

Partly. The parts of looksmaxxing that are really just good habits are healthy and have solid evidence behind them: sleeping 7 or more hours (sleep-medicine consensus), wearing sunscreen every day (randomised trial), strength training with enough protein (meta-analysis) and a simple skincare routine (American Academy of Dermatology). The risky parts are the extreme ones. Surgeons warn that bone-smashing can break bones and cause permanent disfigurement. Steroids are linked to heart, hormone and mental-health harm. Crash dieting costs muscle (randomised trial). And constant face rating and comparison is linked to worse body image, which in some people overlaps with body dysmorphic disorder.

What is looksmaxxing?

Looksmaxxing means trying to make yourself as attractive as possible. The word comes from online men’s forums and spread through TikTok and YouTube. People usually split it in two. “Softmaxxing” is the low-risk stuff: skincare, grooming, a better haircut, clothes, fitness. “Hardmaxxing” means trying to physically change your face or body, with surgery, drugs, or practices like bone-smashing.

Researchers have started to look at these communities. A 2025 study analysed 8,072 comments on a looksmaxxing forum that gets about 6 million unique visitors a month. Users picked apart each other’s faces (asymmetry, brow ridges), pushed big changes like leg-lengthening surgery and mewing, and sometimes treated each other as failures and encouraged self-harm. The authors concluded that communities like this harm the health of the men who take part.

None of that makes wanting to look better a problem. Most of the softmaxxing list is just taking care of yourself. The useful question is which parts actually work and which parts cost more than they give.

What has evidence

✓ Worth doing

• Sleep. Sleep-medicine experts recommend that adults sleep 7 or more hours a night on a regular basis. In a small experiment, the same people were photographed after a normal night and after a night without sleep. Strangers rated the sleep-deprived photos as less healthy, more tired and less attractive. (Sleep guide)
• Sunscreen every day. In a 4.5-year randomised trial of 903 adults under 55, the group that used sunscreen daily showed no detectable increase in skin aging, and 24% less aging than people who used it when they felt like it. The AAD recommends broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30 or higher. (SPF guide)
• Strength training with enough protein. A meta-analysis of 49 trials found that extra protein boosts the muscle and strength you gain from lifting, with no further muscle gain past about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day. Lifting may help your mood too: a meta-analysis of 33 randomised trials found resistance training reduced depressive symptoms, though the authors call for better-quality trials. (Strength guide)
• A simple skincare routine. Dermatologists recommend cleansing, moisturizing and sun protection, and say products don’t need to be expensive to be effective. For acne, the AAD lists over-the-counter adapalene, a retinoid, among the ingredients dermatologists recommend. (Retinoids guide)
• Not smoking. In a study of 79 pairs of identical twins, blinded judges scored the twin who smoked (or smoked longer) worse on several signs of facial aging.
• Losing fat slowly, if you want to lean out. In a small randomised trial of athletes who kept lifting while dieting, losing about 0.7% of body weight a week led to a gain in lean mass, while losing about 1.4% a week didn’t. A review of bodybuilding nutrition recommends about 0.5–1% a week to keep as much muscle as possible.

What to avoid

Bone-smashing

✕ Risky, no evidence it works

Bone-smashing means repeatedly hitting your face, often with a hammer or another hard object, hoping the bone grows back sharper. We couldn’t find any clinical study showing that it works. In an April 2026 warning, plastic surgeon Dr Diana Kennedy of Mater Private Hospital Brisbane said it “will definitely not give you a chiselled jawline or cheekbones, but it could cause permanent disfiguration.” She added that fractures of the jaw or cheek can damage teeth and affect your bite and chewing, and that severe cases may need emergency surgery.

Mewing as a way to reshape your jaw

✕ Unproven

Mewing means pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth to try to change the shape of your jaw. In a January 2024 statement, the American Association of Orthodontists warned that it can have unintended and potentially harmful side effects. The AAO advises against relying on unproven online trends to change your facial features. If your bite or jaw genuinely bothers you, an orthodontist can tell you what is actually possible.

Steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs

✕ Serious health risks

An Endocrine Society scientific statement says most people who use performance-enhancing drugs aren’t athletes but ordinary gym-goers, often at doses far above what the body makes naturally. It links their use to a higher risk of death and to heart, psychiatric, hormonal, liver and kidney problems, and says these risks are widely underestimated. Steroid use also tends to go together with muscle dysmorphia, an intense worry about not being muscular enough. In a 2025 meta-analysis, steroid users had more muscle-dysmorphia symptoms than non-users, though it pooled only 10 studies.

Crash dieting and “debloating” with dehydration

✕ Backfires

Cutting calories hard to look lean fast tends to cost muscle, which is the opposite of the look most people want (see the weight-loss-rate trial above). Cutting water and salt to look sharper is risky too. A review of bodybuilding contest prep says dehydration and electrolyte manipulation “can be dangerous, and may not improve appearance”. The same review warns that appearance-focused sports carry a higher risk of eating and body image disorders.

Face rating and constant comparison

✕ Hard on your head

Many looksmaxxing apps and forums give you a score out of 10. We haven’t found published research showing these attractiveness scores are valid, and none of the face-score app listings we checked cites any (our comparison). The American Academy of Dermatology warns against apps that claim to diagnose your skin, since their accuracy is unknown.

What is better studied is the effect of comparing yourself with idealised images. Across experiments in a 2021 set of meta-analyses, looking at appearance-ideal images on social media had a moderate negative effect on body image. Over time the link between social media use and body image was very small, so it’s not that any scrolling wrecks how you see yourself, but the pattern is real.

For some people the worry goes further. Body dysmorphic disorder affects an estimated about 2% of adults and adolescents. The NHS lists signs such as worrying a lot about one part of your body (especially the face), spending a lot of time comparing your looks with other people’s, and checking mirrors a lot or avoiding them. It’s treatable, mainly with talking therapy (CBT) and sometimes medication, so if that sounds like you, it’s worth talking to a doctor. If you’re having thoughts of hurting yourself, in the US you can call or text 988.

A healthier plan

If you want to look better, here is the version with the best evidence behind it. None of it is expensive.

• Sleep 7+ hours. Keep a regular wake-up time and protect the hours before it (consensus statement).
• Sunscreen every morning. Broad-spectrum SPF 30+ on your face, neck and ears (AAD).
• Lift at least twice a week. Work all the major muscle groups, as the CDC recommends, and get enough protein: around 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day is where extra stops helping (meta-analysis).
• Keep skincare basic. Cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen (AAD). Add adapalene if you get acne (AAD).
• If you’re cutting, go slowly. About 0.5–1% of body weight a week, and keep lifting (review).
• Skip the face scores. Track what you do, not a number someone gives your face, and cut back on accounts that leave you feeling worse (meta-analyses).

None of this works overnight: the trials above ran for weeks to years, so the hard part is keeping it going. A checklist, a habit tracker or a reminder on your phone all work. Glod is one habit-based option: a free-to-start iPhone app that turns these habits into a short daily checklist and doesn’t rate your face.

Sources

1. Halpin M et al. When help is harm: health, lookism and self-improvement in the manosphere. Sociol Health Illn, 2025.What it shows: a qualitative analysis of 8,072 comments on a looksmaxxing forum found users critiquing men’s faces, encouraging drastic body changes and encouraging self-harm.Qualitative study
2. Watson NF et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the AASM and SRS. J Clin Sleep Med, 2015.What it shows: adults should regularly sleep 7 or more hours a night for optimal health.Expert consensus
3. Axelsson J et al. Beauty sleep: experimental study on the perceived health and attractiveness of sleep deprived people. BMJ, 2010.What it shows: 23 adults were rated less healthy, more tired and less attractive after sleep deprivation than after a normal night.Moderate: small controlled experiment
4. Hughes MC et al. Sunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med, 2013.What it shows: daily sunscreen users showed no detectable increase in skin aging over 4.5 years, and 24% less aging than discretionary users.Strong: randomised controlled trial
5. American Academy of Dermatology. How to apply sunscreen.What it shows: the AAD recommends broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.Expert guidance
6. Morton RW et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med, 2018.What it shows: across 49 trials, protein boosted muscle and strength gains from lifting, with no further muscle gain past about 1.6 g/kg/day.Strong: meta-analysis of randomised trials
7. Gordon BR et al. Association of efficacy of resistance exercise training with depressive symptoms: meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of randomized clinical trials. JAMA Psychiatry, 2018.What it shows: across 33 trials, resistance training reduced depressive symptoms by a moderate amount; trials with blinded assessment showed smaller effects.Strong: meta-analysis of randomised trials
8. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult activity: an overview.What it shows: adults should do muscle-strengthening activity that works all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.Public health guideline
9. American Academy of Dermatology. Skin care on a budget.What it shows: a simple cleanse, moisturize and protect routine is the dermatologist-recommended basic, and products don’t need to be expensive to work.Expert guidance
10. American Academy of Dermatology. Adult acne treatment dermatologists recommend.What it shows: dermatologists list over-the-counter adapalene, a retinoid, among ingredients for mild to moderate acne.Expert guidance
11. Okada HC et al. Facial changes caused by smoking: a comparison between smoking and nonsmoking identical twins. Plast Reconstr Surg, 2013.What it shows: in 79 pairs of identical twins, blinded judges scored the smoking twin worse on several signs of facial aging.Moderate: observational twin study
12. Garthe I et al. Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2011.What it shows: in 24 athletes who kept lifting, losing about 0.7% of body weight a week increased lean mass, while about 1.4% a week did not.Moderate: small randomised trial
13. Helms ER et al. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2014.What it shows: recommends losing about 0.5–1% of body weight a week to keep muscle, warns that dehydration and electrolyte manipulation can be dangerous, and notes a higher risk of eating and body image disorders in aesthetic sport.Narrative review
14. Mater. Mater doctors warn of dangers of bone-smashing trend. April 2026.What it shows: a plastic and reconstructive surgeon warns that bone-smashing won’t create a sharper jaw and can cause fractures, dental damage and permanent disfigurement.Expert opinion: hospital statement
15. American Association of Orthodontists. AAO warns against popular “mewing” trend. January 22, 2024.What it shows: the AAO warns that mewing can cause unintended, potentially harmful side effects and advises against relying on unproven online trends to change facial features.Expert opinion: professional body
16. Pope HG Jr et al. Adverse health consequences of performance-enhancing drugs: an Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocr Rev, 2014.What it shows: most PED users are non-athlete weightlifters, and PED use is linked to higher risk of death and to cardiovascular, psychiatric, endocrine, liver and kidney disorders.Expert scientific statement
17. Çınaroğlu M, Yılmazer E. Muscle dysmorphia, obsessive-compulsive traits, and anabolic steroid use: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Behav Sci (Basel), 2025.What it shows: steroid users had higher muscle-dysmorphia symptoms than non-users, based on a small pool of 10 studies.Limited: small meta-analysis
18. de Valle MK et al. Social media, body image, and the question of causation: meta-analyses of experimental and longitudinal evidence. Body Image, 2021.What it shows: appearance-ideal social media images had a moderate negative effect on body image in experiments; the longitudinal link was very small.Strong: meta-analyses
19. American Academy of Dermatology. Health apps.What it shows: the AAD supports apps that remind you to practise healthy habits and warns that apps claiming to diagnose skin have unknown accuracy.Expert guidance
20. Veale D et al. Body dysmorphic disorder in different settings: a systematic review and estimated weighted prevalence. Body Image, 2016.What it shows: estimated BDD prevalence of 1.9% in community adults and 2.2% in adolescents, and much higher in cosmetic surgery and dermatology settings.Strong: systematic review
21. NHS. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).What it shows: common signs of BDD and the main treatments, cognitive behavioural therapy and SSRI medication.Health service guidance

Educational only — not medical, dermatology, mental-health or nutrition advice for your specific situation. If you have a health condition or are worried about how you feel about your appearance, talk to a licensed professional. Evidence is summarized honestly; individual results vary.