China’s new craze ‘elf ear’ surgery. Image via Twitter @JinathHyder
Elf ears in China? Elongated ears for a thinner face is all the cosmetic rage
China’s latest plastic surgery craze is the ‘elf ear’ where people are getting their ears elongated in order for their faces to look slimmer.
China’s new craze ‘elf ear’ surgery. Image via Twitter @JinathHyder
People living in China are undergoing surgery to get their ears elongated into “elf ears” in an attempt to make their faces look thinner and younger.
THE ‘ELF EAR’
China’s cosmetic surgery industry is booming. According to Business Insider in 2017, China became the second-largest plastic surgery market in the world behind the United States of America (USA) surpassing Brazil.
In 2017 China recorded more than 15 million plastic surgery procedures and in 2018 more than 20 million procedures. According to the South China Morning Post, China’s cosmetic surgery market climbed from an estimated 64.8 billion yuan in 2015 to an estimated 177 billion yuan in 2019.
The latest cosmetic surgery trend in China is now the “elf ear”, which usually refers to birth defects that result in a pointed ear shape. However, some people believe elongating their ears will make their faces look slimmer and younger.
The procedure is popular between both men and women and can be done in two ways:
- Taking cartilage from another part of the body and placing it behind the ear to make the ear protrude
- Injecting the ear with hyaluronic acid
DOCTORS WEIGH IN ON THE ‘ELF EAR’ SURGERY
According to South China Morning Post, doctors are warning surgery goers about the risks of elongating their ears which include infection, cicatrices, asymmetrical ears, allergic reactions, blood clots and skin necrosis.
Doctors have also said that like other trends, this elf ear is likely to fade over time.
“I dare to say that after this ‘elf ear’ frenzy, there would be an army of beauty seekers requesting to get their original ears back, just like those ‘online celebrity nose,’ ‘European-style double-fold eyelids,’ etc., that once were very popular,” said Yu Wenlin, a doctor at Guangzhou’s Gaoshang Medical Cosmetic Center to South China Morning Post.
However, social media users in China are enthusiastically sharing and promoting the results of the ear procedure.
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