If you’re a man, you’ve likely thought about your testosterone levels at some point this year. Over the past decade, T discourse has skyrocketed in the manosphere—and prescriptions for the sex hormone have shot up too (rising sharply in the United States between 2021 and 2025, according to the research firm Epic Research). The message—imparted by a motley chorus of influencers and public figures—has been simple (albeit scientifically shaky): the higher the testosterone, the more manly.
Now, T-maxxing has taken yet another turn. This spring, Chadwan Al Yaghchi, a consultant otolaryngologist and ENT surgeon at the London Voice and Swallowing Clinic, claims to have become the first to perform a testosterone injection into a cis man’s vocal cords in the UK. While the procedure isn’t brand new (otolaryngologists have already been doing it in the US and Al Yaghchi began offering it to trans patients last year), demand seems to be building among cis men.
The fact that there’s an appetite for this type of procedure shouldn’t surprise anyone. TikTok is now awash with influencers spewing tips about how guys can sound more manly, while apps such as VoiceMax profess to help users “Talk like a Chad” and “Unleash your Most Muscular, Attractive Voice!” The perceived benefits of a lower-pitched voice are not totally unfounded. Research indicates that both men and women perceive deeper voices as more dominant. Other studies have shown that people are likely to view men with lower-pitched voices as more effective CEOs—and more likely to win in a fist fight. But is injecting testosterone into your neck safe? Can it deliver real results? And who is actually doing this? GQ spoke to experts about everything you might want to know about the latest voice-deepening procedure.
How does it work?
First let’s go over some basic vocal anatomy first. In your voice box, you have two smooth muscular bands called vocal folds, which vibrate to create your voice. Their length, thickness and tension all contribute to the pitch, in esssence: how deep your voice is. Here’s where testosterone comes in: a tiny amount of the hormone is injected into the vocal fold muscle under local anesthetic, intending to thicken the vocal cord. If successful, this can lower the pitch, giving you a deeper voice. A standard course may be four injections, with two weeks between each.
What are the results like?
It’s early days, but they’re looking good. Al Yaghchi says that he’s seen “a consistent drop in pitch of between 15–30 Hz”, while earlier case reports are also promising. One 2023 study by researchers at the University of California documented successful “voice masculinization” results in two trans male patients—without any reported side effects. Another 2025 study reported that a 28-year-old cis guy “achieved his desired access to a lower pitch range” after two testosterone injections, “while providing the possibility of permanent voice quality change.”
Who is getting this procedure?
“How you’re perceived in a professional environment is often the biggest driver for this,” says Al Yaghchi; there’s a “general feeling that having that deeper, richer voice will give you that authority.” He says he’s done the procedure on about twenty men so far, most of whom are in “high-demand jobs”—such as senior roles in finance and property—and are looking for “extra confidence” at work.
