Why bone-smashing is the last thing you (and 2023) needed

The social media beauty sphere is brimming with a new—and, according to experts—an alarming trend: bone-smashing. The TikTok-approved beauty hack involves intentionally fracturing facial bones to achieve altered facial features, such as enlarged cheekbones or a more prominent chin. According to Healthcare Communications Network, the hashtag has amassed more than 250 million views and is close to half a billion views on all social media platforms combined.

Proponents of bone-smashing online reference the late German surgeon Julius Wolff’s 19th-century Wolff’s Law, which suggests that bones strengthen and remodel due to mechanical stress. But this concept, valid for weight-bearing exercises, is oversimplified and misapplied in beauty. ‘Hitting the face and the facial skeleton with a blunt object can cause unwanted fractures of your mandible bone, zygomatic bone, or some of the frontal bone. Such trauma can cause bone fractures and underlying contusions,’ says Dr. Swapna Athawale, a plastic surgery consultant at Jupiter Hospital, Pune. ‘In severe cases, it may lead to brain injury, eye damage, or nasal injuries resulting in bleeding,’ he adds.

Many users, especially young men, have confessed to resorting to this perilous technique in the hope of making themselves more appealing to potential romantic partners. Dr. Shilpi Bhadani, a plastic and cosmetic surgeon at Aakash Healthcare, says, ‘At this juncture, it’s important to also outline body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). The psychology of people who may seek drastic facial re-contouring by opting for such extreme methods warrants assessment of mental health issues too. When we talk about such trends, there is also the issue of cultural insensitivity associated with pushing standardized beauty ideals.’

She adds, ‘Open communication about any procedure’s advantages and disadvantages is essential because in most cases, it leads to undesired results and post-procedural complications that may hamper an individual’s confidence.’ Notably, bone-smashing is not medically or scientifically recommended to work on one’s facial skeleton.