A bizarre new surgery trend is emerging out of Asia, but a leading US surgeon is already warning potential patients to be wary of the ‘devastating’ procedure.
Ear fillers are gaining popularity in China and South Korea, as larger ears can create the illusion of having a smaller face.
‘Aside from the lifting effect, it actually fans out your ear and that creates a smaller face, because in Asia the trend is all about having a smaller face,’ dermatologist Dr. Jenny Liu explained on Instagram.
‘When I was in China, one of the dermatologists told me this is one of the most commonly performed procedures that he does, and I couldn’t believe it,’ she added.
The trend may also be fueled by influential K-pop stars like Haerin, who is a member of South Korea’s most successful girl group NewJeans and is famous for her ‘elf-like’ features.
‘The result I think they’re trying to generate is lateral structure,’ dermatologist Dr. Danny Guo said on Instagram.
‘But they don’t want to augment the lateral cheeks because Asians often have prominent zygomas [cheekbones] already. So instead, they hide it back behind the ear.’
While the procedure is already popular in Asia, Beverly Hills-based surgeon Dr. Deepak Dugar told DailyMail.com that patients are starting to seek out ear fillers in the United States too.
‘Ear filler in the USA is usually performed in the lower earlobe, utilized to re-volumize aging ears to prevent a wrinkled or sagging look,’ explained Dr. Dugar, who is known for perfecting the ‘Scarless Nose’ job.
‘Sometimes we also use fillers in the lower earlobe to strengthen the area under an ear piercing to keep it strong and prevent it from weakening with heavy earrings,’ the board-certified surgeon continued.
‘However, using filler to reshape the upper ear – specifically around the helical rim – is not commonly performed in the United States.’
Dr. Dugar then warned that the procedure could be risky for some patients.
‘The blood supply to the ear cartilage is supplied by the superficial perichondrium surrounding the ear cartilage,’ he explained.
‘If the filler were injected deep into the perichondrium and separated the perichondrium from the cartilage, this could be devastating as it could potentially cause the cartilage in that area to devascularize.
‘This could also happen if a needle caused a hematoma under the perichondrium and caused a similar separation between the perichondrium and the cartilage.’
Dr. Dugar said that a mishap with the procedure could lead to the dreaded ‘cauliflower ear,’ which is most commonly seen on boxers and MMA fighters and is caused by a hematoma from ear trauma.
‘This hematoma forms usually between the perichondrium and the cartilage, and unfortunately, if untreated properly, can create devascularization of the cartilage leading to a deformity in the cartilage itself known as a cauliflower ear,’ he said.
‘In my opinion, doing filler in the upper and lateral aspect of the ear is extremely risky and I personally would never recommend this for my patients.’
In 2018, Brielle Biermann claimed that her reality star mom Kim Zolciak gets ear fillers because of her heavy diamond earrings.
‘My mom gets filler in her ears because her diamond earrings are too heavy… #richpeopleproblems,’ she tweeted.
The procedure has drawn a strong reaction online, with many stating that it’s unnecessary.
‘I wish people would stop with the unrealistic beauty standards,’ commented one.
‘Good grief people have absolutely lost their minds,’ wrote another.
‘Between philtrum reduction and ear fillers, it’s absolute chaos with these appearance fixations,’ wrote a third.
Another bizarre filler trend that’s emerged recently are nipple fillers.
Women are seeking the injections to make their breasts appear ‘perkier’ and ‘more excited’ amid a growing trend of women going braless in see-through tops.
Dr Norman Rowe, a plastic surgeon in New York City, previously told DailyMail.com that he now sees up to five women a week for the procedure, which involves injecting filler directly into the base of the nipple.
The trend comes as women try to emulate celebrities like Bella Hadid, Lauren Sanchez and Bianca Censori who have been prone to free the nipple.
So popular has the trend become, Kim Kardashian’s clothing brand SKIMS even sells tops with nipple pad inserts.
