One of the fashion trends in plastic surgery of ears in St. Petersburg this season they became “elf ears”. Such surgeries are popular among those who enjoy body modifications. Experienced plastic surgeons do not recommend such correction, because... it is not carried out for medical reasons, but only for the purpose of decorating and transforming the image. Today we will tell you about how surgery is performed and what awaits the owner of elf ears during rehabilitation.
Elven ears
Otoplasty (correction of the shape of the ears) is a fairly popular plastic surgery, and there is nothing unusual about it, except for one thing: unless the patient asks for a non-standard shape, for example, a pointed one, like an elf. Most often, fans of fantasy and simply those who like to experiment resort to such changes.
Price: from 25,000 rubles
How to turn into an elf
Like any other operation, ear plastic surgery is performed after a mandatory preoperative examination. During the consultation, the doctor uses computer modeling to mark the incision lines on the auricle and discusses the new shape with the patient. Surgical intervention does not require full anesthesia and is therefore performed under local anesthesia.
After making an incision in the auricle, the surgeon performs modeling in accordance with the plan approved in advance. To do this, he rolls up the cartilage and places sutures using absorbable (inside) and non-absorbable (outside) material. To avoid divergence of the cartilages, the doctor will secure them with special clamps or adhesive tape. You will have to wear the retainers for quite a long time - up to 3 months. This is necessary to obtain the desired ear shape after plastic surgery.
Removing ribs
Many women want to meet the parameters of 90–60–90. Therefore, some are ready to remove several ribs to make their waist as thin as possible (by the way, such an operation was once performed by Cher (71) and Marilyn Monroe). After such a procedure, the figure may well become like that of Dita von Teese (45). But this is a very painful operation.
Price: From 15,000 rubles
We sew elf ears with our own hands
At school holidays, children often transform into Christmas heroes. And for practicality, such ears can simply be sewn, then there will be no constant questions about how to make elf ears. You can use this craft for any occasion.
Manufacturing technology:
- To work, you should first make a pattern.
- Prepare the fabric of the required color and redraw the pattern, then cut it out. You just need to add allowances to the material to make them the right size.
- For the inside, you should prepare a filler; you can use padding polyester or ordinary cotton wool.
- Having sewn the blanks together, you then need to make a frame from thin metal wire. Think over the shape so that the ends comfortably grip the ear and the product is held tightly.
- Then fill the inside with filler, but not too tightly, you should get a minimum volume.
- All that remains is to sew the lower part and try on how elven ears are made.
Dimples
Many people think that dimples are very sexy. That’s why some girls pluck up courage and go to a plastic surgeon for these two treasured “cavities.” During the procedure (dimplectomy), the doctor removes part of the fatty tissue through a small incision on the inside of the cheek and then stitches the skin, stretching it tightly. The formed scar will later become the same depression - a dimple on the outside of the cheek (no scars will remain).
Price: from 29,500 rubles
A new cosmetic surgery has gained popularity in China. Now “elf” ears are in fashion
Chinese woman before and after ear surgery. Photo: Vice Facial plastic surgery has long been popular in China. From 2015 to 2022, the plastic surgery market almost tripled to $27.7 billion. The most common operation is to create a double eyelid, but this year protruding “elf” ears are in fashion. It is believed that such ears are cute and lengthen the face, and doctors warn about the dangers of such experiments.
What kind of operation is this?
Ear surgery is called otoplasty. There are two ways to turn your ears into “elven” ones. First, doctors sew a piece of cartilage from other parts of the body behind the ear. So the ear turns to the side mechanically. The second method is chemical, when a dose of hyaluronic acid is injected into the ears.
Chinese woman with elf ears. Photo: Weibo
Who makes their own elf ears?
It is noteworthy that both women and men resort to surgery in China. But the popularity of “elf” ears has spread most among Chinese people 20 years old and younger.
An explosive growth in popularity for such a service is recorded in large cities of the country. According to the sales manager of Mylike Medical Cosmetic, a cosmetology company from Shanghai, now those who want to change their ears to “elf” ones are forced to wait for the operation on a first-come, first-served basis.
Why do people choose "elf" ears?
Chinese youth believe that protruding ears will make their face look slimmer and more youthful. In their opinion, ordinary ears visually expand the face and are not visible when viewed from the front. In addition, many Chinese women complain about the inability to hook their hair behind their ears.
"It is wonderful! I didn't do anything to my face, but friends noted that my appearance changed after the day of surgery. The face began to look smaller, the appearance became more intelligent, and so on,” a user on the Xiaohongshu platform happily shares her experience.
A Chinese woman who changed her ears to “elf” ones.
Photo: Vice Doctors note that the shape of “elven” ears is something between Stahl’s ear or protruding ears. Stahl's ear is a congenital ear malformation where excess cartilage forms on the ear, causing the top corner to become more pointed. Prominent ears means that the ears are 2 cm or more behind the head. Since ancient times, such ears have been considered a symbol of good luck in China.
What do doctors say about the operation?
Chinese doctors are wary of young people's fascination with protruding ears. Liu Yufeng, head of the department of cosmetic surgery at the Second Nanjing Hospital (Jiangsu Province), notes that during such an operation the wound may become infected. In addition, the administration of hyaluronic acid causes the formation of blood clots and sometimes leads to the death of the patient. Liu reminds that the ears are a part of the body with a large number of nerve endings, and hyaluronic acid, when injected frequently, causes chronic pain and swelling.
Wang Jiangyun, a plastic surgeon from the Third People's Hospital of Zhengzhou (Henan Province), also warns about the negative consequences of changing the shape of the ears. In addition to infection, scarring, an allergic reaction, skin necrosis and other dangerous reactions may occur.
What do they say on the Internet about the trend for “elf” ears?
Protruding “elven” ears, of course, have become a topic of heated discussion on the Chinese Internet. Thus, the hashtag “plastic elf ears” (精灵耳整容) received more than 700 million views on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter on the social network Weibo. In general, Internet users in China do not share the enthusiasm of fans of the new fashion.
“How did modern ideas about beauty become so wretched?” — one of the users of the Weibo social network asks in the comments.
“Why can’t girls be more confident? It’s not necessary to disfigure yourself,” says another.
“Very scary, don’t try it under any circumstances. There are simply no words,” continues the third.
Plastic surgeons also hope for a speedy decline in the popularity of “elven” ears.
“I dare say that after this craze for “elf ears” there will be crowds of beauty enthusiasts who will ask to give their ears their original appearance. It was the same with “celebrity noses,” Caucasian double eyelids and other previously popular procedures,” suggests Yu Wenlin, a doctor at the Gaoshan Cosmetology Center from Guangzhou.
What other plastic surgeries are popular in China?
Young Chinese women of student age often resort to improving their appearance, which is why plastic surgery on the face is in particular demand in the country. Girls get double eyelids, rhinoplasty, bags under their eyes are removed, and their chin is sharpened. With the help of such manipulations, Chinese women make their faces more elongated and their eyes larger and more expressive. Such requests distinguish the Chinese plastic surgery market from the Western market, where the services of a surgeon are often used to change the shape of the body rather than the face.
The result of plastic surgery on the eyelids. Photo: Zhihu
The desire to make oneself more attractive is influenced by a number of factors: pop culture, the image of Internet celebrities, competition in society. Thus, employers in China ask to include a photo in your resume. This puts psychological pressure on young workers and forces them to go under the knife. Everything to create an image close to ideal and get the coveted workplace.
Andrey Dagaev
Vocal cord plastic surgery
Voice change surgery is not just a fad. For public figures (politicians, actresses, singers) this is a real salvation. When changing a man's timbre, part of the cartilage in the larynx is removed and botulinum toxin is injected (to create the desired hoarseness), and girls undergo laser correction or implant titanium plates between the muscles of the larynx (as a result, the voice becomes more melodic).
Price: Not carried out in Russia (from 45,000 rubles in the USA)
Why do “elf ears” appear after a facelift and what to do about them
Elf ears can be seen not only in Hollywood.
Such deformation is not only the lot of fairy-tale characters, but also a typical complication of an incorrectly performed SMAS face lift. Candidate of Medical Sciences, plastic and reconstructive surgeon Ekaterina Sergeevna Kudinova, speaks specifically for TecRussia.ru about the causes and methods of correcting this problem: – A few months after the lift, some patients may notice that their earlobes have become deformed and stretched downwards. Why this happens is sometimes not understood not only by patients, but also by their plastic surgeons. The root of the problem lies in the incorrect layout and tension vector of the skin flap.
| The photo shows the result of the “elf ears” correction, 2 weeks after the second operation: | |
In this case (see photo above), when performing a facelift, the surgeon made a mistake in choosing the direction of tension. Due to an incorrectly sewn flap, which pulls the earlobe down, the ear gradually stretched, acquiring an unnatural shape. The second reason, which can also cause a similar complication, is inadequate excessive excision of the skin. Fortunately, such a gross and obvious mistake is quite rare.
How to fix elf ear?
- It is wrong to think that such a deformity can be corrected by performing local earlobe plastic surgery. Such an operation will give only a very short-term effect, since the cause - improper tension of the tissues of the cheek and neck - will not go away. Thus, the situation can only worsen due to additional excision and increasing tissue deficiency under the ear, which will lead to even greater stretching downwards.
- The only correct option is to do a re-lift: detachment of the skin flap, its correct layout, change in the tension vector and correct fixation. Lobe plastic surgery will also be needed, but this will be only a small part of a complex operation. The result will not only completely and permanently solve the problem with deformation, but also eliminate a noticeable scar.
- Another problem that can arise due to improper distribution of loads on the skin and the wrong choice of tightening strategy is deformation of the ear tragus. Read about this in Dr. Kudinova’s article “invisible seam.”
The skill of the surgeon when performing a facelift is to choose the right vector and tension force to obtain the best anti-aging effect, but not to overdo it - otherwise distortion of features and other undesirable consequences will inevitably appear. I like to repeat to my patients: plastic surgery cannot be taught, but you can learn it if you really want to.
| To make an appointment with Dr. Ekaterina Sergeevna Kudinova: • by phone. • or through the online form • clinic address: Moscow, Ovchinnikovskaya embankment, 8A |
Eyelash plastic surgery
This is a very painstaking and difficult work. It is done mainly for those who have completely or partially lost their eyelashes. To transplant hairs, they are taken either from the back of the head or from the eyebrow and “sewn” into the eyelid. This operation is performed extremely rarely, not only because it is very labor-intensive, but also because it has a number of disadvantages (sometimes incisions can cause swelling and hematomas, in addition, there is a high risk of getting an eyelid that is too convex).
Price: Not carried out in Russia (from 175,000 rubles in Germany)
Postoperative period after plastic surgery of elf ears
Before you decide to have plastic surgery and turn into the heir of Elrond, you should understand that even repeated otoplasty will not help you regain your previous appearance. You will forever turn into an elf, and it will be impossible to correct the shape of your ears.
In order for the simulation to be successful, after the operation it will be necessary to follow all the recommendations of the attending physician:
- refuse to sleep on your side until the wounds have completely healed - this is necessary in order not to damage the stitches and to obtain the desired shape of the ears;
- give up the active rhythm of life and get plenty of rest - this helps the incisions heal faster;
- do not abuse painkillers - like any other wounds, ear incisions will hurt for some time after modeling;
- regularly carry out antiseptic and hygienic procedures using regenerating drugs (first in a dressing room in the clinic, then independently) to avoid infection;
- During rehabilitation, stop drinking alcohol and coffee.
On average, the rehabilitation period lasts about 3 months, because... the rate of fusion of cartilaginous tissues is significantly lower than that of soft tissues. The operation is not considered difficult, and complications after it are extremely rare. If you follow all your surgeon’s recommendations accurately and in a timely manner, then 9 weeks after ear surgery you will become a worthy warrior of your clan.
