When people travel to Harley Street to visit a plastic surgeon in London to discuss potential aesthetic treatment options, the most common reasons for treatment involve the removal of scars or blemishes that have shaken their confidence.
However, aesthetic surgery can sometimes be desired to attain certain types of unattainable look, and one example of this that has surprisingly managed to attain some level of popularity is so-called “elf-ear surgery”, particularly after it became a topic of discussion once musician Grimes talked about potentially getting it.
Obviously, any kind of body modification or aesthetic surgery that radical is one that should be carefully considered with professional consultation, but regardless it has become increasingly popular, especially in China.
Here is a brief explainer that looks past the fantastical, explores the reality of ear-shaping surgery, and attempts to explain why elf ears have become a particularly desirable beauty trend.
What Actually Is Elf Ear Surgery?
Elf ear surgery, in practice, is a form of otoplasty, which is a surgical procedure that changes the size, shape, and position of your ears.
Often the procedure is undertaken if the ears are misshapen as the result of a birth defect or serious injury, otoplasty has also been undertaken for more aesthetic reasons, typically to pin back ears to make them less prominent.
The “elf ear surgery” trend is interesting not because it involves reshaping the ears but because it is done for the opposite reasons; these treatments accentuate the shape of the ear, lengthening it, and in some cases even giving the ear a pronounced point.
As with any otoplasty, there are risks involved with the treatment, such as the potential for scarring, but these will be discussed with any surgeon who will undertake the surgery.
However, this leads to a question for quite a few people, one that has more answers than you may expect.
Why Has Elf Ear Surgery Increased In Popularity?
Historically, elf ears have been associated with body modification subcultures, as well as within certain fantasy and gaming communities, but its increased popularity is primarily based in China and South East Asia.
According to Dr Wenlin Yu in an interview with the South China Morning Post, his main clientele for the surgery are young people born after the year 2000 (Gen Z), who have seen the trend popularised by female celebrities in China.
The claim is that by enlarging their ears and making them protrude more, their faces look slimmer and they believe they look younger.
Add to this a belief in China that protruding ears bring good luck and it has become an exceptionally popular albeit increasingly controversial trend on social media, alongside a wide range of other cosmetic treatments that have fallen in and out of fashion in the region.
As with any complex cosmetic surgery, an aesthetic surgeon will not operate until the patient has had a thorough consultation, and been informed of the expectations, the potential effects, risks and the complexities involved in reversing the procedure.
Ultimately Grimes did not go through with the procedure after discussing it with a few people, mostly due to her profession as a musician.
