At face value, a trend encouraging young men to take care of their physical appearance and maximise their self-worth appears harmless – even positive – but the fast-growing looksmaxxing trend has a very dark side, experts warn.

So what is it, and why are some health professionals calling it "terrifying"?

What is looksmaxxing?

Looksmaxxing has re-emerged on social media platforms like Reddit, Instagram and TikTok as a trend by men seeking to improve their physical appearance.

The methods used to maximise appearance are split into two categories: "softmaxxing" and "hardmaxxing".

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