The TikTokers are doing so to improve their facial appearances.
A strange TikTok trend, where users hit their faces with blunt objects such as hammers, bottles and massagers is going viral and confusing the internet. The TikTokers are doing so to improve their facial appearances.
The TikTokers are using the term 'bone smashing' to refer to this practice of hitting their faces in the pursuit of beauty. According to Forbes, the videos with the phrase "bone-smashing tutorial" have garnered over 267.7 million views on TikTok.
Forbes report says that it is a risky practice which can not even break your facial bones but it damages soft tissues, connective tissues, and eyeballs. Pounding your face with a blunt object could also result in bleeding and lesions that would be at high risk of getting infected.
Social media users are basing this on Wolff's Law, which says that bones can adapt to physical stress and remodel themselves. German anatomist and surgeon Julius Wolff formulated Woff's Law which says that bones are constantly undergoing remodeling with old or damaged bone. Mechanical force or physical stress applied to bones can stimulate this remodelling process, resulting in stronger and denser bones. Notably, a lack of such stress could lead to weaker and thinner bones. Engaging in weight-bearing exercises can help maintain bone strength and bone loss.
However, it is worth noting bone smashing is controversial since symmetrical outcomes need a lot of pressure and precision, which is why the process is difficult, according to Evening Standard. Repetitive trauma may damage or irritate nerves, whilst excessive trauma will also result in fractures and permanent disfigurement.
There is not much research supporting this practice.