Risky "bone smashing" has emerged on TikTok, noted for its constantly shifting trends and challenges. Health professionals and responsible users are warning about this social media trend's popularity.
Risky "bone smashing" has emerged on TikTok, noted for its constantly shifting trends and challenges. Health professionals and responsible users are warning about this social media trend's popularity, especially among young people.
As the name implies, bone smashing is purposefully fracturing facial bones to achieve a changed facial look, frequently defined by features like bigger cheekbones or a more prominent chin. It is significant to stress that there is no medical support for this trend's efficacy.
Advocates of bone smashing on TikTok cite Julius Wolff, a German anatomist and surgeon, who developed Wolff's Law in the 1800s, to support their views, per Hindustan Times. According to Wolff's Law, bones strengthen and remodel as a result of mechanical stress. This bone shattering concept applies to weight-bearing exercises but is oversimplified and misapplied to bone smashing.
Is Bone Smashing Safe? Experts Say 'No'
Users have shared their supposed experiences and results in TikTok bone smashing videos that have gained prominence. Before-and-after images are frequently used in these videos, with the idea being that the alteration was brought about by intentionally breaking bones.
However, smashing bones to change one's look is neither safe nor effective. It is dangerous to try to damage face bones to alter them. Extreme pressure and accuracy are needed to achieve symmetrical results, making the procedure extremely challenging and risky.
According to medical professionals, crushing bones with blunt objects like hammers, bottles, or massagers (like those TikTok bone smashing challenge participants do) can result in serious fractures, nerve damage, permanent deformity, and infections.
Some experts say it is alarming to hear that some people, especially young ones, have admitted to utilizing this dangerous technique out of desperation, thinking that changing their looks would make it easier for them to meet romantic partners, according to the Evening Standard.
@syrianpsycho BONESMASHING does NOT WORK. #fyp #based #syrianpsycho #selfimprovement #trending ♬ The Sound of Myself - Disasterpeace
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Health professionals and respectable TikTok users strongly oppose the TikTok bone smashing practice. They emphasize that bones are dynamic structures that alter organically in response to numerous causes.
Dr. Sanjay Trikwan, a medical aesthetics doctor and managing director of Trikwan Aesthetics said that a person "can get local inflammation and that can make something seem like it's a little bit bigger, but that's going to go down. So it's not a case of it's going to come back harder or stronger, and it can cause permanent damage. It can cause permanent issues if it was done inappropriately," as quoted in a report from The Messenger.
In addition to bones, the human face also contains soft tissues, connective tissues, and delicate structures like the eyes, all of which are particularly vulnerable to damage from blunt force trauma.
Listen to Real Experts
Final verdict: bone smashing is not an acceptable cosmetic modification, as this TikTok trend has dangers that vastly exceed its potential advantages. Health professionals advise against believing that purposely hurting one's face will make them look more appealing.
Instead of adhering to this risky bone smashing TikTok trend, people are urged to look for safer, more logical ways to boost their self-esteem and features rather than turning to dangerous behaviors.
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