"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

What is synthol and why are bodybuilders injecting it into their muscles?

Getting ripped takes effort. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson doesn't seem like he does sitting on the couch with a pack of Doritos on his pecs. It took years of sweat, pain and sacrifice.

Many men (not all of us, though it needs to be noted) would like to be buff like The Rock. However, some people aren't willing to spend time within the gym and are in search of a fast fix. And while there are shortcuts, they at all times come at a value.

A well known shortcut is misuse. Anabolic steroids. They have banned fair use. Testosterone replacement For men with hypogonadismfor instance. But there's a black market in these drugs, and a few bodybuilders consider the risks of abusing anabolic steroids value it if it means larger (and subsequently higher) muscles.

And there are a lot of more serious dangers. In men, testicular shrinkage, erectile dysfunction, hair loss, severe pimples and breast enlargement may occur. In women, these include facial hair growth, deep voice, breast shrinkage and menstrual problems.

And Both male and female Increased risk of kidney and liver damage, and Cardiovascular conditionsreminiscent of stroke, heart attack and life-threatening arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat).

They may also affect people. Mental healthCauses mood changes, paranoia and aggression.

A really quick – but equally ill-advised – shortcut to mass guns (but no profit) involves injecting an oil called “santhol” directly into the muscles to immediately bulk them up. This process is referred to as colloquialism. “fluffing”.

Cinthol is one. mixture oil (85% – sometimes sesame, walnut, or paraffin), lidocaine (7.5% – local anesthetic) and benzyl alcohol (7.5%).

The alcohol is claimed to be there for sterilization purposes (supposedly) while the lidocaine helps reduce pain after the injection. The oil itself acts as a bulking agent. Common injection sites include the triceps, biceps, deltoids, pecs, and calf muscles.

The results are alarming. To borrow a phrase from writer Clive James, synthol users look like “A condom full of walnuts”. For skilled bodybuilders, there's a difference between real muscle and synthol muscle “ridiculously obvious”.

And while the muscles look larger, the outcomes are purely cosmetic. You won't have the option to lift anything heavier than you were before the injection. In fact, there's a very good probability that your muscles will probably be damaged, as you'll be able to damage the fibers or restrict their movement.

A heavy price

Once the anesthetic effects of lidocaine wear off, the pain begins. two days It is worsened after injection and muscle activation. If the needle damages the nerve, the pain could also be everlasting.

It can also be not unusual for injection sites to develop into infected, causing inflammation and pus-filled cysts. Reusing needles to present injections is a sure option to increase the danger of infection. This is much from trivial. If the bacteria manage to achieve the bloodstream, a dangerous complication develops. Septicemia (blood poisoning) can occur, which will be fatal.

If a blood vessel is unintentionally punctured or injected, things can get ugly. Then you're looking at a possible. Pulmonary or cerebral embolism (blockage of blood vessels within the lungs or brain), which will be fatal.

Sometimes, synthol causes scarring so extensive that the muscles die and have to be removed. Surgically removed.

Quick fix but long run problems

Synthol stays within the muscles for a surprisingly very long time – the body doesn't reabsorb the oil easily. The effects are visible for 3 to 5 years. It can provide you with the insta muscles you wish, but in case you're frightened of the outcomes and need them back to their former state.

Plus, after a couple of years, gravity can have taken its toll and your oil-bloated muscles will sag – making them look much more awkward.

Look like synthol muscles.

And it's not only men who're turning to synthol for a fast fix. In 2021, doctors Case reported Of a girl who used synthol to boost her buttocks. He then developed granulomas (clusters of white blood cells) in his buttocks and lungs. This increased the calcium in his blood. At high levels, it could actually cause kidney stones, abdominal pain and serious cardiac arrhythmias.

Despite all these scary unwanted effects — and highly dubious advantages — synthol just isn't illegal. In fact, a Google search will return dozens of vendors, often selling their products as “posing oils.” And many Internet forums are filled with bodybuilder Mankio. Medical sounding but potentially dangerous advice How to manage synthol

For each synthol and anabolic steroid use, the long list of risks and complications far outweigh the advantages. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a such thing as a free lunch. If you wish impressive muscles, you could have to place within the work. just ask The Rock.