Expert warns against permanent damage of ballmaxxing as more people taking part in harmful trend

A doctor has warned of the dangers in a new trend sweeping the internet, calling it 'one of the most reckless' things out there.

You've probably seen the 'maxxing' trends, putting any prefix in front of '-maxxing' to indicate that you're taking it to the limit.

While it's become a big meme on the internet now, the term may have originated in video games, where players pick out the stats for their character.

In gaming, 'maxing' is choosing to preference one skill to the detriment of all others, so spending your points on strength but not having charisma, for example.

Now, the term has flipped over to being applied not to video game avatars, but incel communities using it to describe trying to build up one particular characteristic that they have, like 'gymmaxxing' to indicate working out, 'looksmaxxing', or 'moneymaxxing'.

Now, a new version of the trend has emerged which sounds almost too strange to be true, and doctors have warned about the potential health side effects.

The trend involves injecting the balls (korawat thatinchan/Getty)

This is 'ballmaxxing', and it's not referring to getting very good at football, baseball, or any other sport.

It's about making one's balls, as in testicles just for the avoidance of any doubt, bigger.

One particularly extreme trend sees men even injecting their scrotum with saline or Surgilube to make them artificially larger.

If you're wondering why anyone would do that, then you're not alone.

Claims have circulated online that having a larger scrotum makes someone feel more confident or more masculine, and that it can make you better in bed.

Meanwhile, bizarre claims have been put out that women prefer a partner with larger testicles, though it's not clear how larger testes would be an asset in the sack.

You probably won't be surprised to find out that injecting your balls to make them look bigger is not good for your health.

Yes, it involves injecting the balls to make them appear larger (retales botijero/Getty)

Robert Glatter, MD is an attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, as well as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell.

He warned: “Physicians have called ballmaxxing one of the most reckless body modification trends to emerge from male online communities, warning that the temporary size increase often leads to permanent damage."

Dr Glatter added: "The short answer: The scrotum was not built for this. The area is extremely sensitive and contains delicate structures — including the testicles, blood vessels, and nerves — that are simply not designed to accommodate fluid distension."

As this procedure is mostly done at home, there is also a higher risk of infection including sepsis, which can have very serious consequences indeed.

So needless to say - please don't do this.