The recently viral ‘bone smashing’ TikTok trend advocating restructuring jawlines and cheekbones through blunt force trauma has experts warning against the health detriments of such practices.'Bone smashing' promotes using blunt trauma on the face to restructure the cheekbones and chin
Videos with the hashtag #bonesmashing on TikTok have garnered over 266.7 million views as of Wednesday , but very few actually show themselves smashing their faces. “I honestly never thought I’d have to come on here and say this, but please don’t intentionally break the bones in your face,” Dr Tripathi begins.
“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.”While some videos simply post pictures of individuals with defined jawlines, claiming that the process had worked, several videos visually depict the practice without actually smashing their faces on camera.
‘Mewing’ is another facial reconstruction technique that involves keeping the tongue on the roof of the mouth for periods of time, which supposedly changes the jawline’s shape.One TikTok user wrote: “Good bone smashing technique and it works. Do it and practice mewing. You will see changes in a month.”One user wrote: “It's genetics people, hahaha. Time changes your face, not your habits. I’m sure it plays a part, but it doesn't do all the work.