spoonz
Iron
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2025
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hey guys, so i've been going down a rabbit hole on facial remodeling and wanted to share what i found on the main growth factors. (please correct me if im wrong)
if you're still in puberty / actively growing:
1. GH/IGF-1 — 9/10. the big one. drives most craniofacial dimensions and acromegaly basically proves it
2. Testosterone/DHT — 8/10. huge during puberty — mandible, brow, jaw width
3. Mechanical loading (chewing, tongue posture, masseters) — 7/10. actually shapes bone over time if you're consistent
4. Estradiol — 6/10. handles bone maturation and controls when growth stops
5. Thyroid hormone — 5/10. regulates growth tempo overall, deficiency leaves facial structure underdeveloped
6. Cortisol (inverse) — 4/10. chronically high stress suppresses bone formation, so this one works against you
7. Insulin/nutrition — 4/10. more of a permissive factor but undernourishment during development really stunts things
post-growth / adult remodeling:
1. Mechanical loading — 6/10. still the most realistic lever adults have, just slow
2. GH/IGF-1 — 4/10. still does something (acromegaly works in adults too) but way more subtle
3. DHT — 3/10. more soft tissue and skin thickness than actual bone at this point
4. Testosterone — 2/10. mostly works indirectly through estradiol and IGF-1, not direct bone stuff
5. Everything else — 1-2/10. pretty marginal
please let me know if i'm wrong or might have skipped something ill be running some experiments soon.
if you're still in puberty / actively growing:
1. GH/IGF-1 — 9/10. the big one. drives most craniofacial dimensions and acromegaly basically proves it
2. Testosterone/DHT — 8/10. huge during puberty — mandible, brow, jaw width
3. Mechanical loading (chewing, tongue posture, masseters) — 7/10. actually shapes bone over time if you're consistent
4. Estradiol — 6/10. handles bone maturation and controls when growth stops
5. Thyroid hormone — 5/10. regulates growth tempo overall, deficiency leaves facial structure underdeveloped
6. Cortisol (inverse) — 4/10. chronically high stress suppresses bone formation, so this one works against you
7. Insulin/nutrition — 4/10. more of a permissive factor but undernourishment during development really stunts things
post-growth / adult remodeling:
1. Mechanical loading — 6/10. still the most realistic lever adults have, just slow
2. GH/IGF-1 — 4/10. still does something (acromegaly works in adults too) but way more subtle
3. DHT — 3/10. more soft tissue and skin thickness than actual bone at this point
4. Testosterone — 2/10. mostly works indirectly through estradiol and IGF-1, not direct bone stuff
5. Everything else — 1-2/10. pretty marginal
please let me know if i'm wrong or might have skipped something ill be running some experiments soon.
