/ glossary
The language.
- Accutane
- Isotretinoin. The nuclear option for severe acne. Works by shrinking sebaceous glands.
- Ascension
- A meaningful, measurable improvement in attractiveness.
- Baclofen
- A GABA-B agonist, usually prescribed for muscle spasticity. Used off-label for anxiety reduction but impairs motor skills and blunts dopamine.
- Benzodiazepine
- A class of sedatives (Xanax, Klonopin, Valium) that agonize GABA-A. Low immediate side effects but high dependency risk.
- Bitemporal width
- The width of the skull at the temples, measured between the two temporal bones. Ideal is about 80% of the bizygomatic (cheekbone) width.
- Bizygomatic width
- The width of the face at the cheekbones, zygomatic-to-zygomatic. The reference width for most facial ratios.
- Cope
- Self-soothing rationalization used to avoid doing the hard thing that would actually work.
- Derma-stamping
- Microneedling with a vertical stamp (not a rolling wheel) to avoid follicle damage, used alongside topical hair regrowth agents.
- DHT
- Dihydrotestosterone. The androgen that drives male pattern hair loss. Blocked by 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors like finasteride and dutasteride.
- Dutasteride
- A 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor (brand: Avodart). Stops hair loss by blocking DHT. Stronger than finasteride.
- ESR
- Eye separation ratio. Width between the eyes relative to the width of the cheekbones. Ideal roughly 0.43–0.46.
- Fraud
- To use styling, grooming, or optical tricks to make a sub-optimal feature look better than its underlying structure. Not surgery; not a cure; a workaround.
- Fringe
- A forward-falling bangs haircut used to hide a high hairline, receding temples, or a weak forehead bone.
- GABA
- Your brain's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. Drugs that boost it (alcohol, benzos, pregabalin) lower social inhibition.
- Glutamate
- The brain's primary excitatory neurotransmitter. Responsible for judgment, learning, and alertness.
- Glycogen
- The body's stored form of carbohydrate in muscle and liver. Fuels high-intensity training. Takes about an hour to convert 100g of dietary carbs into glycogen.
- Halo
- A trait so strong it makes other traits appear better by association.
- IGF-1
- Insulin-like growth factor 1. A hormone that spikes from dairy and sugar, drives sebum production, and triggers acne.
- IPD
- Interpupillary distance. Distance between the centers of the pupils.
- Lumify
- Brimonidine tartrate eye drops that temporarily whiten the sclera. Tolerance builds fast — save for high-leverage moments.
- Macros
- Macronutrients: protein, carbs, fat. The grams-per-day levers that control body composition.
- Memantine
- An NMDA receptor antagonist used for Alzheimer's. Studied for its effects on glutamate signalling and anxiety.
- Micros
- Micronutrients: vitamins and minerals. Matter for long-term health but have less immediate aesthetic impact than macros.
- Minoxidil
- A vasodilator used topically and orally for hair regrowth. Oral versions (2.5–5mg) dominate in looksmaxxing circles.
- Mog
- To dominate someone on a given aesthetic axis. 'He mogs you' = he outranks you on that trait.
- Monoblock
- An extreme maxillofacial surgery that advances the entire midface and forehead as one unit. Reserved for severe developmental flaws.
- NMDA
- A glutamate receptor subtype central to learning and decision-making. Blocked by ketamine, memantine, and others.
- Norwood
- The standard male pattern baldness scale from NW1 (no loss) to NW7 (severe).
- Phalo
- A visible flaw that drags a face's rating down (from 'failo').
- Prefrontal cortex
- The brain region behind the forehead that governs planning, impulse control, and social judgment. Alcohol disrupts its function.
- Pregabalin
- Lyrica. Reduces neurotransmitter release via voltage-gated calcium channel binding. Less cognitively impairing than alcohol, but tolerance accumulates rapidly.
- Propranolol
- A non-selective beta blocker. Kills the physical symptoms of anxiety (shaking hands, sweat, racing heart) without touching cognition.
- PSL
- A facial attractiveness scale (roughly 1–8) used in looksmaxxing communities. Named after three forums that formalized it.
- Sclera
- The white part of the eye surrounding the pupil. Whiter sclera = healthier / more striking eyes.
- Zygos
- Short for zygomatic bones — the cheekbones. Width and projection drive facial width and width-to-height ratio.