A number of TikTok users have shown great interest in a so-called 'nose shaping hack' which is currently sweeping TikTok, but an expert has warned to take it with a pinch of salt. Those who share this supposed 'hack’ claim a person's nose shape and size can be altered non-surgically through a routine of daily exercises and massages alone.
However, many of these ‘hacks’ don’t work as advertised, and it's feared the misleading results shown in such videos could negatively impact the way easily influenced young people view themselves. This is turn could tempt them into altering their appearances so as to fit unrealistic beauty standards.
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The idea of the nose shaping massage first started with Peta Prior, the Australian founder of the Facerobics face exercise gym, and a popular YouTuber. Her video ‘How to Reshape Your Sagging Nose and Give Yourself a Nose Lift’ has clocked up more than 3.9 million views and counting, while her nose sculpting videos have been widely shared on TikTok.
Many followers have shared the vids along with their own experiences too, with the hashtag ‘#nosereshaping’ having been viewed more than two million times at the time of writing.
Furthermore, facial yoga expert Kokofaceyoga, who has half a million TikTok followers, also claims she can sculpt the ‘perfect’ nose simply by using this method. In one such clip - which has more than nine million likes - she suggests pinching your nose for five seconds, repeating this five times a day to ‘secure a shape’ and slim down your nose.
Another widely viewed video, from @danielaa_ces, demonstrates three supposedly easy steps for nose shaping, encouraging followers to lift their nose, pinch the bridge, then flare their nostrils, repeating this pattern 50 times.
However, Mr Mark Ho-Asjoe, cosmetic surgeon at rhinoplasty specialists Karidis Clinic, has cautioned people not to take such videos at face value.
Mr Ho-Asjoe continued: “The shape of the nose is determined by underlying cartilage and bone. Muscles on the nose are mimetic and moving can create a 'bunny line’ on the side. 'Bunny lines' refer to the fine lines that appear on either side of your nose when you wrinkle it.
"Like many types of facial wrinkles, bunny lines are caused by repeating certain facial expressions. Exercise is very unlikely to induce elevation of the tip or narrowing nostril. Excessive stretching is possible just like rings used to stretch the neck in some culture or spacer for ear piercing.”
Have you debunked a popular hack? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
