How dangerous is the bone-smashing TikTok trend?

In recent times, TikTok has witnessed the emergence of a disturbing trend known as bone-smashing, a phenomenon that has captured the curiosity of countless users.

This trend has gained over 267.7 million views and a lot of notoriety for its controversial premise: individuals attempting to reshape their facial features by deliberately breaking their own bones, all in the pursuit of achieving what they believe to be a more aesthetically appealing look.

With claims rooted in 19th-century surgeon and anatomist Julius Wolff's Law, which suggests that bones can adapt and strengthen in response to physical stress, some TikTokers have resorted to using hammers, bottles, and other blunt objects in misguided attempts to sculpt their facial appearance.

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What are people doing in the bone-smashing trend?

Bone smashing TikTok trend (Image via Getty Images/Photodisc)

In the bone-smashing trend on TikTok, individuals are attempting to change their facial features by intentionally breaking their own facial bones. They employ various blunt objects, such as hammers, bottles, or massagers, to apply force to specific areas of their face, aiming to achieve what they perceive as a more attractive appearance.

The underlying belief is that this forceful impact will stimulate bone remodeling based on Wolff's Law, making the bones stronger and creating a more chiseled or defined look. Participants often share their experiences and purported before-and-after results in videos on the platform.

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How is the bone-smashing trend dangerous?

The bone-smashing trend is exceedingly dangerous for several reasons:

Risk of Serious Injury: Applying forceful blows to one's facial bones using blunt objects like hammers or bottles can lead to severe injuries, including fractures, dislocations, and damage to the facial tissues, nerves, and blood vessels.

Bone-smashing TikTok trend (Image via Getty Images/Marcos Calvo)

Permanent Disfigurement: The human face is a complex structure, and attempting to reshape it through forceful impacts can result in permanent disfigurement, leading to aesthetic consequences far worse than the individual's initial dissatisfaction with their appearance.

Infection Risk: Breaking the skin and facial tissues can expose individuals to a heightened risk of infection, particularly if the tools used in bone smashing are not properly sanitized. Infections in facial tissues can be particularly challenging to treat.

No Medical Basis: Bone smashing lacks any scientific or medical validity. While Wolff's Law suggests that bones can adapt to stress, it does not support the idea that breaking facial bones will lead to desirable cosmetic outcomes.

Potential for Nerve Damage: Forceful impacts can damage nerves in the face, leading to pain, loss of sensation, or other neurological issues.

Lack of Precision: Achieving symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing results through bone smashing is extremely difficult and unlikely. The lack of precision can lead to uneven and unsightly outcomes.

Bone-smashing TikTok trend (Image via Reddit)

Psychological Impact: Engaging in such risky behavior for cosmetic purposes can have significant psychological consequences, including regret, anxiety, and depression.

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In conclusion, the bone-smashing trend on TikTok should be unequivocally condemned due to its potential to cause severe injuries and the inherent danger it poses to those who attempt it. This reckless pursuit of cosmetic changes disregards the serious risks involved and should not be entertained or emulated.