James Donaldson on Mental Health - Looksmaxxing and Its Impact on Boys

How to support your child If you’re worried that your child might be engaging in looksmaxxing-related behaviors to an unhealthy degree, says Martinez, there are a few things you can do: Open communication.

Martinez suggests approaching your child with curiosity.

“You could start the conversation by saying something like, ‘So have you heard about this?

Have you ever had any thoughts yourself about how you look or desires to change your body or face?’ And then give them some space to be open and vulnerable about it.

Validate their experience.” Find out where your child is getting their information.

“Read it together, talk about it, and see what your child thinks about it,” Martinez advises.

“And if it’s promoting something dangerous, then you can talk to them about how those practices can be harmful and what could actually happen if they do some of those things.” Encourage male role models.

“There’s a patient I work with now who doesn’t have a present dad,” Martinez explains.

“His mom tries to talk to him about things like body image, but he feels like she doesn’t understand and can’t relate.

So having someone that he can talk to and be open about this stuff with, especially someone who can also share their own struggles, can be really helpful.” Seek help from a mental health professional.