How can physical appearance and perceived attractiveness be enhanced?

From the Guidelines

To improve appearance and rated attractiveness, focus on both physical and behavioral factors that enhance your natural features, prioritizing good skincare habits, hygiene, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and a healthy diet, as these factors not only enhance physical health but also contribute to confident behavior and emotional stability, which are universally considered attractive traits across cultures. When considering how to enhance physical appearance and perceived attractiveness, it's essential to look at the most recent and highest quality evidence available. A study from [2024@] [@6@] highlights the importance of addressing body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in young people, emphasizing thorough risk assessment, including self-harm, suicidality, and unwarranted or unsafe cosmetic procedures. However, for the general population looking to improve their appearance and attractiveness without specific mental health considerations, the focus should be on:

• Good skincare habits including daily cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen application, as noted in studies from [2012@] 1, which discuss the importance of sun protection and skin care in preventing skin cancer and promoting healthy skin.
• Maintaining good hygiene with regular bathing, dental care, and grooming.
• Exercise regularly, aiming for 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly, to improve body composition, posture, and skin tone.
• Ensuring adequate sleep (7-9 hours nightly) and proper hydration (about 2-3 liters of water daily).
• Dressing in well-fitting clothes that complement your body type and coloring.
• Practicing good posture by keeping shoulders back and spine aligned.
• Developing confident body language and genuine smiling, as these significantly increase perceived attractiveness.
• Considering a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins to improve skin, hair, and overall health.

These recommendations are supported by the understanding that physical health markers and confident behavior are instinctively recognized as signs of genetic fitness and social competence, respectively, which are universally attractive traits. It's also crucial to approach appearance enhancement with a focus on health and well-being rather than resorting to potentially harmful practices like excessive tanning or unsafe cosmetic procedures, as warned against in the context of BDD and its treatment [2024@] [@6

From the FDA Drug Label

The FDA drug label does not answer the question.

From the Research

Enhancing Physical Appearance and Perceived Attractiveness

• Physical appearance and perceived attractiveness can be enhanced through a combination of lifestyle changes and cosmetic procedures 2
• A holistic approach to anti-aging, including a nutritious diet, exercise, dental hygiene, hormonal balance, stress reduction, smoking and pollution avoidance, and healthy sleep patterns, can maximize the effectiveness of aesthetic interventions 2
• Topical therapies, such as benzoyl peroxide and retinol, can be used to treat acne and improve skin appearance 3, 4
• Combination regimens, such as a daily regimen of topical low-dose benzoyl peroxide and retinol, can offer improved outcomes for acne treatment 4

The Role of Conscious Awareness in Attractiveness

• Research suggests that facial attractiveness relies on features such as symmetry, averageness, and above-average sexual dimorphic characteristics 5
• The appraisal of attractiveness requires conscious awareness, and high-attractiveness faces are detected and discriminated more accurately than other appearance types 5

Exercise and Attractiveness

• Exercise can be motivated by a desire to improve physical attractiveness, particularly in individuals with lower appearance satisfaction and appearance-contingent self-esteem 6
• Global self-esteem is positively associated with appearance satisfaction and health reasons for exercise, whereas appearance-contingent self-esteem is related to lower appearance satisfaction and attractiveness reasons 6
• Understanding the different levels and contingency of exercisers' self-esteem can be important for exercise practitioners in promoting healthy exercise motivations 6