A Lucrative New Front in the Looksmaxxing Trend
The online looksmaxxing trend, once confined to obscure forums, has become a lucrative micro-industry driven by young online beauty influencers. One prominent figure, 20-year-old former public school pupil Oscar Patel, reportedly earns £220,000 a month by selling access to his looksmaxxing techniques. He runs a subscription model charging USD 39 (approx. RM180) per month to around 6,600 paying followers, promising to help them “cure ugliness” and transform their appearance without surgery. His pitch draws heavily on the language of biology and facial growth, claiming that specific posture and mouth exercises can remodel bone structure, improve breathing, and even alleviate conditions such as sleep apnoea and asthma. Critics say the marketing taps directly into a growing culture of visual self-optimization, where appearance is framed as a technical problem that can be hacked—if you are willing to pay for the right insider methods.
From Fringe Forums to Incels and Mainstream Social Media
Looksmaxxing emerged in the early 2010s on online boards such as Lookism.net, where mostly young men debated how to “maximize” their physical attractiveness. The subculture overlaps with incel spaces, which promote the nihilistic “black pill” belief that genetic appearance determines social and romantic success. Within this worldview, looksmaxxing is sold as a form of “ascension” for those convinced they were born with the “wrong” face. Influencers like Patel and American streamer Clavicular, real name Braden Peters, have turned these ideas into spectacle and business, demonstrating extreme or bizarre routines on camera. Peters has promoted using a hammer on his own face and “bonemashing” to sharpen his jawline, while Patel pushes a “thumb pulling” method that involves pressing the roof of the mouth for minutes at a time. Their content circulates widely, especially among socially isolated boys and young men seeking a sense of control over their appearance.
Borrowed Science and Questionable Health Claims
To bolster credibility, some looksmaxxing influencers invoke scientific-sounding concepts such as orthotropics and myofunctional therapy. Patel’s website, for example, argues that bones are “dynamic, living tissue” that can be reshaped by muscle forces, and that correct tongue and lip posture can grow the face forward to create a stronger jawline and better airway. He further claims to have personally corrected crooked teeth, an overbite, nose asymmetry, flat feet, asthma, sleep apnoea and scoliosis without surgery. Health professionals say these sweeping claims go far beyond any evidence. Myofunctional therapy itself is considered fringe and is usually explored in controlled clinical contexts for specific breathing or swallowing disorders, not as an all-purpose beauty upgrade. Experts warn that influencers are cherry-picking and exaggerating niche research, turning it into broad, unverified lifestyle prescriptions that are sold as guaranteed pathways to both better looks and better health.
Medical Backlash and the Risks Behind Unproven Beauty Procedures
Medical and dental professionals are increasingly alarmed by the spread of unproven beauty procedures promoted through social media beauty claims. Samantha Weaver, a founding member of the Academy of Applied Myofunctional Sciences, says Patel falsely presented himself as an intern with the organisation and has ignored repeated requests to remove references to its name. She accuses him of “taking people’s money” and preying on self-conscious young people, describing his following as “a cult inside social media”. Grant McIntyre, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and dean of its Faculty of Dental Surgery, has called Patel’s methods “deeply misleading and harmful”, stressing that the “thumb pulling” technique lacks any scientific data to support its use for jaw development, asthma or sleep apnoea. Potential harms include jaw pain, headaches, disrupted sleep and delayed diagnosis of serious underlying conditions that actually require professional treatment.
Vulnerable Audiences, Thin Oversight and Growing Mental Health Concerns
Behind the marketing gloss, the looksmaxxing trend targets a particularly vulnerable audience: young people struggling with bullying, low self-esteem or loneliness. Patel himself has said he was bullied as a child because peers “couldn’t tell if I was a boy or girl”, a narrative that makes his transformation story compelling to followers who feel similarly rejected. Parents have reportedly contacted experts after discovering their children spent hundreds on his advice. Yet there is little regulatory oversight of subscription-based online coaching, allowing unqualified individuals to make sweeping health and beauty claims with minimal challenge. Beyond physical risks, mental health professionals worry that constant focus on “fixing” faces entrenches body dysmorphia and reinforces the idea that social acceptance is conditional on achieving an idealised jawline. As the line blurs between self-help and pseudo-medical intervention, calls are growing for clearer rules on health-related social media beauty claims and stronger protections for young users.