Looksmaxxers are using 'sketchy' peptides sold by influencers that have worrying side effects

It's said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but many 'looksmaxxers' are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve what they believe is physical perfection.

People have always done extreme things for beauty, when you think about it, Botox is a toxin which paralyses your muscles and many people willingly inject that into your face.

However, the industry is closely regulated for most beauty procedures, and you're unlikely to try and administer Botox or fillers at home.

Some looksmaxxers are turning to 'sketchy' peptides that they are ordering from influencers online, with little information or regard for how safe they are (or most likely aren't.)

Many of these peptides are not approved for human use by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and come with a lengthy list of risks and side effects.

Online fitness trainer Tom takes a cocktail of peptides daily (instagram/@tom_t4fitness)

For the uninitiated, looksmaxxing is a social media trend and an online subculture where men do whatever it takes to maximise their physical attractiveness.

This can be through diet and exercise (softmaxxing) all the way through to surgical procedures (hardmaxxing).

According to SBS News in Australia, some men are even having 'face hammering' surgery, or having their legs broken and lengthened to gain a few extra inches of height.

Peptides are illegal to sell, supply, or advertise for human consumption unless they are approved medicines.

However, there is a loophole where there can be sold for 'research purposes only’.

One influencer who has been ordering products online is Tom Holbrook.

The Times reports that Holbrook wakes up, goes to the fridge and injects himself with five vials of peptides.

He confessed: “I’ve probably taken 15 different ones over the past year. I don’t know the long-term effects, but it’s really improved the way I look.”

It's not just influencers turning to these products, as many celebrities have also been raving about peptides over the years - but they're presumably not ordering them from a random account online.

Holbrook, an online personal trainer, is currently taking a cocktail of peptides which sets him back around £300 a month, but he says he previously spent much more.

One of the peptides the 26-year old takes is called MT-2, which stimulates melanin production in the body.

It works to darken his skin and apparently makes him look more tanned. Holbrook confessed he's not sure how good these peptides are for him.

"It’s pretty crazy how much it’s changed my face," he said, admitting he got into injecting them after falling down a 'rabbit hole' of content online of men using the peptides.

He thinks MT-2 in particular is 'a bit sketchy' as 'my face goes bright red instantly and I feel sick' after injecting it.

Despite these side effects, he still uses it because it means he spends much less time on a sunbed, now only going on once a month, rather than twice a week to achieve the same look.

Tom says he has experienced side effects and thinks at least one of the peptides is 'sketchy' (instagram/@tom_t4fitness)

Sometimes referred to as 'melanotan', the Australian Government has warned people not to take it, listing some of the risks of MT-2 include headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and facial redness, which matches Holbrook's experience.

The official government website also warns that the most concerning risk is for skin cancer, with reports of 'increased moles and freckles, kidney dysfunction and swelling of the brain', and in Australia any promotion by social media influencers of the substance is illegal.

The British Association of Dermatologists has warned anyone who has used the substance to keep an eye out for 'unusual orange tans' and 'disordered moles'.

Dr Catherine Borysiewicz, from the association, told the BBC that the only 'safe tan is fake tan.'

"We have evidence these products are potentially dangerous and can potentially lead to cancer, we have cases which have shown melanoma developing after trying them," she warned.

The head of borderlines at the MHRA, Lynda Scammell, told LADbible: “Peptide products may be sold as cosmetics, supplements and medicines, and depending on their intended purpose, they fall under different regulatory frameworks.

“The MHRA determines whether a product is a medicine on a case-by-case basis. This includes consideration of a number of factors including the product’s effect on the body, the way it is used and takes into account all the available evidence and relevant legal precedents.

“We disregard claims that products are for ‘research purposes’ if it is clear that such claims are being used as an attempt to avoid medicines regulations. If there is evidence within the promotional material that the products are in fact unauthorised medicines intended for human use, we will take appropriate regulatory action.

“If a product is classified as a medicine and is not appropriately authorised, we take regulatory compliance action, including the removal of the product from the UK market where necessary.

“Not all peptides fall under MHRA’s remit, for example, many peptides are sold for body-building purposes and in the absence of medicinal claims, these would not be considered medicines.”