Biohacking
Data- and research-driven body-optimization practices and protocols, not internet trends.
4.2What is biohacking
From the DIY-biology movement through the Quantified Self to today's social-media-popular trend — what biohacking actually is in practice, and where science ends and marketing begins.
4.4Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
The variability in the time between successive heartbeats is one of the best non-invasive indicators of autonomic nervous system balance — today available in nearly every sports watch.
4.2Red Light Therapy (Photobiomodulation)
Exposure to red and near-infrared light has become a popular biohacking tool — with real, though still limited, evidence mainly in the context of skin health.
3.9TB-500
TB-500 circulates online as a "synthetic fragment of thymosin beta-4" supposedly speeding up healing of tendons, ligaments, and muscle — in practice, a marketing name for a poorly defined substance with not a single published human clinical trial behind it.
4.1GHK-Cu (Copper Peptide)
GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring copper tripeptide with one of the longest and best-documented track records in this category for topical skin use — but that solid cosmetic reputation is often groundlessly extended to injectable, systemic use, for which human evidence is practically nonexistent.
2.8Melanotan II
Melanotan II is an unapproved, injectable peptide promoted for "sunless tanning" through direct melanocyte stimulation — a substance with documented, serious adverse effects (from priapism to melanoma cases), banned or flagged by health agencies in multiple countries. This entry is deliberately written with an emphasis on risk, because the evidence of real harm here is far more solid than the evidence for any safe use.
4.1Nicotine as a Nootropic
Nicotine outside of cigarettes — gum, lozenges or patches used purely to sharpen focus, with no tobacco combustion — has real, clinically documented effects on attention and processing speed. It's also one of the most two-sided topics in biohacking: the same compound that measurably sharpens attention is also one of the most addictive over-the-counter psychoactive substances available.
4.2At-Home Dermarolling and Microneedling
Micro-puncturing the skin with a roller covered in hundreds of microneedles — controlled, tiny injuries that trigger a healing response and collagen production. The procedure has solid support in the dermatology literature, above all for acne scarring, but performed at home it carries real, context-specific risks that simply don't exist in a dermatologist's office.
3.6Scalp Mesotherapy
A treatment that involves injecting a mix of vitamins, minoxidil, growth factors, or other substances into the scalp — marketed in clinics as a modern alternative to 'boring' drops and pills. The catch: the umbrella term 'mesotherapy' covers literally any combination of ingredients, and the scientific evidence is far weaker and more inconsistent than clinic marketing suggests.