Teen boys take changing their appearance to the extreme with new “heightmaxxing” trend

Looksmaxxing, a big trend in manosphere circles that emphasizes physical attractiveness in men, is taking it a step further with the newest “heightmaxxing” trend. Mostly undertaken by teenage boys, this social media trend encourages them to change their appearance by growing taller. The way they’re trying to do that? By taking prescription cancer drugs.

A Rolling Stone report on heightmaxxing said some young men engaging in this trend are taking erdafitinib, brand name Balversa, to try to trigger growth spurts. However, there is no evidence that this or other cancer drugs will make one gain height.

Only a handful of cancer patients taking these medications have grown taller

Balversa has only been approved in the U.S. since 2019 and is mainly used in the treatment of adults with advanced urothelial cancer. Part of what the medication does is block fibroblast growth factor receptors, proteins that help regulate cell growth.

The heightmaxxing trend seems to be based on rare reports of children who unexpectedly gained height while taking the drug. A 2024 study observed two pediatric patients who experienced accelerated growth spurts. A separate case involved a teen who grew five inches while taking the medication but also developed severe skeletal complications.

Those instances of added height are seen as evidence that the medication causes growth spurts. However, doctors have warned that the unexpected height gains those patients experienced could be a reflection of skeletal toxicity instead of healthy development.

Teenagers’ experiences with the drug appear to back up doctors’ beliefs

Like other looksmaxxing trends, such as smashing one’s face with a hammer for better bone structure, like prominent looksmaxxer Clavicular is known for doing, heightmaxxing with cancer drugs has some painful side effects. One TikToker who took “erda,” as it’s called online, told Rolling Stone that he took the drug on-and-off between the ages of 15 and 17. He said that he was made fun of at school for being shorter than some of the girls.

He also reportedly explained, “I don’t like other people towering over me, and I don’t like having to look up to people. I don’t know how to put it, but it feels like I’m not in control.”

Taking the drug took a toll on his body, though, particularly his joints. He claimed, “Stretching my arm felt like my wrist was going to tear off. Waking up, it felt like my spine was bent. I had to spend one hour of just stretching so my spine feels better.” However, he also claimed that between the ages of 15 and 17, he grew several inches, making taking the drug worth it.

Balversa comes with numerous potential side effects, though. Just a few of them include loosening of the fingernails, labored breathing, irregular heartbeat, blurred vision, scaling on the hands and feet, and seizures, making heightmaxxing an incredibly dangerous undertaking for these teens.

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