Looksmaxxing and dermatologic complications

What is looksmaxxing?

“Looksmaxxing” is a rapidly expanding social media trend focused on optimizing physical appearance through cosmetic, behavioral, and medical interventions. (1-3) Looksmaxxing draws from both evidence-based and pseudoscientific theories of facial aesthetics, bone structure, skin quality, and attractiveness. (1, 2) Practices range from skincare routines, “mewing” (pressing the tongue flat against the roof of the mouth to sharpen the jawline), grooming, and fitness regimens, to “hardmaxxing,” which involves orthodontic care, cosmetic surgery, and unregulated interventions, such as excessive supplement use, gray market injectables, and off-label hormones. (1-4)

Why dermatologists should be aware of looksmaxxing

Dermatologists are increasingly encountering complications of looksmaxxing, including inflammatory reactions, foreign-body granulomas, acneiform eruptions, pigmentary changes, barrier disruption, and dermatitis (5, 6) as online communities across TikTok, Reddit, Discord, YouTube, and others increasingly promote at-home cosmetic practices and experimental injectables using wellness terminology despite limited clinical evidence and unclear safety data. (1-4) Recognition may be challenging, as patients often do not perceive looksmaxxing practices as medical or potentially harmful, and dermatologists may not be able to stay up to date with the latest trends.

Additionally, looksmaxxing may have substantial psychosocial effects, particularly in children and adolescents whose body image and self-esteem are still developing. (7) Algorithm-driven exposure to digitally curated images may reinforce the belief that attractiveness determines self-worth, amplifying distress, social comparison, and dissatisfaction with normal anatomic variation. (8) These behaviors may overlap or worsen body dysmorphic disorder, anxiety, depression, disordered eating, compulsive checking, and suicidality.(8, 9) Dermatologists may recognize warning signs such as disproportionate distress and fixation on minimal findings and provide supportive counseling with mental health referral when indicated.

How can dermatologists recognize complications of looksmaxxing

To help dermatologists recognize emerging practices, understand potential dermatologic complications, and improve patient counseling and history-taking, this content synthesizes published literature with findings from looksmaxxing-related online forums and a March 2026 structured review of 150 TikTok videos and associated comments using looksmaxxing-related key words.