How it works
Using looksthread
Everything the site does, and the rules that govern it. Five minutes here saves most of the friction people run into.
Getting set up
Creating an account
Sign up with an email address and a password of at least 8 characters. You'll get a confirmation link — the account isn't usable until you click it. If it doesn't arrive, check spam, then use the resend button on the confirmation screen. Links expire after 24 hours and can only be used once.
Onboarding
Six short screens: username, date of birth and sex, what brought you here, the areas you're working on, how you plan to use the forum, and an optional bio. Only your age is ever shown publicly — never your date of birth. You need to be 16 or older, because the library covers prescription drugs and surgery.
Forgotten password
Use the link on the sign-in screen. You'll get a single-use reset link valid for one hour. For your protection the confirmation message is the same whether or not the address has an account.
The Research library
Around 80 entries covering pharmaceutical compounds and peptides, surgical procedures, injectables, energy and dental work, natural habits, and diet.
Every entry answers the same questions
How it works, how it's actually used, what's in favour and against, the risks, the recovery, the cost range, and how strong the evidence is. Because the template never changes, you can compare tretinoin against a peel against a laser without re-learning a new layout each time.
Evidence ratings are honest in both directions
Every entry carries a 1–5 rating with the reasoning written out. Sunscreen and orthognathic surgery are 5s. Mewing is a 2. Biotin is a 1. If something doesn't work, the entry says so and explains why the marketing disagrees.
Filtering and search
Filter by category down the left, or by area — skin, hair, facial structure, body, dental, health. The search box matches titles and summaries. Filters and search combine, so you can look at only surgical entries affecting facial structure.
Sources
Citations point at guideline bodies (AAD, FDA, Cochrane) and literature searches rather than single papers, so links stay valid as the evidence moves and nothing resolves to a fabricated reference.
The Forum
Tags
Every thread carries up to three tags — General Discussion, Pharmaceutical, Surgical, Injectables, Skincare, Hair & Scalp, Dental & Smile, Fitness, Diet & Nutrition, Grooming, Style, Progress & Results, Routines, Mindset, and Studies & Evidence. Use the rail down the left to filter to what's relevant.
Sorting
Latest, Top and Discussed. Pinned threads always sit at the top regardless of sort.
Thread types
Question when you need a specific answer. Guide when you're documenting something others can follow. Progress for an update with a real timeline. Journey for something you'll keep adding to. Discussion for everything else.
Writing a thread that gets answers
Include your age, how long you've been at it, what you've already tried, and what actually changed. Threads with a timeline get useful replies; three lines with no context get ignored. Read the Research entry first — a lot of questions are answered there in full, including the parts people would rather skip.
Attachments
Up to six files on a thread and four on a reply — images, PDF or text, 10MB each. Images render inline; everything else becomes a download row. If you're posting progress photos, keep the lighting and angle consistent, because half of perceived progress is the camera.
Voting
Upvote what's useful, downvote what's wrong — not what you disagree with. Votes feed the author's reputation.
Managing your own threads
The ⋯ menu on your own thread lets you delete it. Deleting removes every reply too, so use it sparingly.
Your profile
What's shown
Username, avatar, badges, age, member number, join date, bio, the areas you're working on, plus your reputation and thread count. Your email and date of birth are never public.
Editing
Settings → Profile. Change your avatar, username, display name, bio and topics. Some usernames are reserved for the team and will be rejected as you type.
Badges
New marks anyone who joined in the last 30 days. Early Access went to the first 500 members. Staff and Administrator reflect the role. Others are granted for contribution. None of them are worth gaming.
Appearance
Settings → Appearance switches between Light, Dark and System. The choice follows your account across devices. Everything on the site also respects your operating system's reduce-motion setting.
Deleting your account
Settings → Account → Delete account. It removes your profile, every thread and reply, your votes and your badges, immediately and permanently. You'll be asked to type your username to confirm.
Moderation
What staff can do
Staff can pin and delete threads, and pin or delete individual replies. Some threads carry a staff note at the top — a correction or piece of context added without deleting the discussion. If you see one, read it; it's usually there because something in the thread would otherwise mislead people.
Announcements
Occasionally a blue bar appears at the top of the Forum, Research and About tabs. Dismiss it with the × and it won't come back.
If a thread is removed
It'll be for something on the list below. Repeating it costs the account.
The rules
Six principles decide what stays up. They’re enforced, not decorative.
Rate the look, not the person
Ratings and blunt critique are fine — most people are here precisely to get them. Contempt is not. Say what you'd change and why, and never tell someone that what they were born with is a life sentence.
No blackpill, no incel content
Fatalism is banned outright. Content arguing that appearance determines someone's worth, or that self-improvement is pointless, is removed on sight. So is misogyny, racism and harassment of any kind.
Evidence over confidence
Strong claims need sources. The Research library exists so advice can be checked rather than repeated. Saying "I don't know" is respected here.
Honest timelines
Real change takes months and years. Posts that promise otherwise, or that hide the recovery, the cost or the maintenance, get corrected.
Nothing here is medical advice
This is a community, not a clinic. Anything pharmaceutical or surgical belongs in front of a qualified professional before it goes anywhere near you.
Be someone worth taking advice from
Blunt is fine. Cruel is not. If you can't tell someone the truth without belittling them, you're not being honest, you're just being unkind.
Where to start if you’re stuck
Sleep, sun protection and a lower body fat percentage do more for most people than anything purchasable. All three are free, all three are in the library, and all three are boring. That’s rather the point.