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Stretched-earlobe regret fuels surge in cosmetic surgery

Mr. Ambien

By Mr. Ambien
in Off-Topic General

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Mr. Ambien Canucks Star

Mr. Ambien

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People who 'gauged' their earlobes in youth are flocking to fix-it surgery in adulthood

Dr. Julie Khanna inspects Kurt Barnett's earlobes. Both have big holes surrounded by droopy, thinned flesh.

"We're going to cut a piece here, cut a piece here, close the opening here," the plastic surgeon informs her patient at her Oakville, Ont.-based clinic.

Twenty-five-year-old Barnett is about to undergo surgery to patch up his holes, a procedure growing in popularity with those afflicted with earlobe-stretching regret.

When he was 19, Barnett picked up on a growing fashion trend. He pierced his ears and then began the long, painful process of stretching the tiny holes. He stopped two years later when his gauged ears were 4.4 centimetres in diameter — big enough to accommodate large round jewelry or spacers.

The body modification, sometimes called earlobe gauging, became trendy about a decade ago. But now some who bought into the look, like Barnett, have grown up, entered the workforce, and want to repair a folly of the past.

"I'm actually very excited just to have my ears back to normal, instead of these big open holes in my ears," says Barnett, who lives in Aurora, Ont.

Sometimes, surgery is the only solution to fix a stretched ear, especially if the holes are big. Not only must they be stitched up, the surgeon has to reshape the lobe — often by slicing off excess stretched skin.

"I've seen patients who are really surprised you don't just take the spacer out and it goes back to normal," Dr. Khanna says.

Doing it for the job

The surgeon says she's seen a surge in patients requesting the procedure. It's one of many fuelling the booming cosmetic surgery industry, where a growing number of Canadians are opting to alter their looks.

"As you change, as you enter the workforce, you may not want to have that permanently," Dr. Khanna says, "and that's when people start thinking about how can I correct it?"

Barnett says he was once happy with his gauged ears. "I loved the way it looked, the attention, everything like that."

But he stopped wearing his spacers soon after he landed a job doing spray-foam installation. The holes were so large, Barnett couldn't properly fit a required respiratory mask over his head when wearing jewelry.

So he removed his spacers when at work and then decided to permanently leave them out. "I just kind of got used to not having them in and didn't really see a point of putting them back in if they were going to interfere with my work."

He adds, "You could say I fell out of love with them."

But soon he had a new problem. Without the aid of jewelry, Barnett's earlobes sagged and he went from a look he loved to one he found embarrassing. So he signed up for surgery.

"I don't really want to have these big huge holes in my ears because it just looks horrible. Every time I look in the mirror, I just see it and shake my head," he says.

Paying the price

Barnett will shell out $1,700 for the procedure. He says he always knew surgery was the only solution if he changed his mind about ear-gauging, but he believed it would be a simpler process.

"I thought they'd pretty much sew it up, but there's going to be earlobe removal, stitches, and a lot of pain afterwards."

Twenty-four-year-old Leanna Richard recently endured two different surgeries on her ears. When she was 15, she started stretching her lobes until they were 3.8 centimetres in diameter. She also got a 1.3 centimetre hole punched out of the tops of each ear.

Richard says she still loves the look of gauged ears, but decided to go under the knife because it was no longer right for her. "I think it's really beautiful. I just think on me I didn't like it anymore, just kind of grew out of it."

She also decided normal ears would make life easier while attending nursing school in Edmonton, where she believes not all the instructors are fans of stretched lobes.

Richard went to a facial surgeon, Dr. Kristina Zakhary in Calgary, and paid $3,800 in total for both procedures.

"It was a bitter pill to swallow," she says about the expense. But she's thrilled with her regular-looking ears and the new accessories she can wear after getting them pierced, post-surgery.

"I love wearing little jewellery now, like little hanging earrings."

Snip and stitch

Back in Oakville at the Institute of Cosmetic and Laser Surgery, Dr. Khanna snips a piece of Barnett's earlobe and starts stitching his ears back into shape.

When she's done about 45 minutes later, Barnett cringes at the two leftover pieces of lobe sitting on a table. But his mood changes when he checks out his new ears in the mirror.

"I'm really shocked that I have normal looking lobes," he says. "I like it."

When Barnett's ears completely heal in about three months, he'll only have a faint scar reminding him of his former look.

But he's not yet done. Barnett wants to make a documentary about his journey to help young people considering earlobe stretching. He plans to lay out the process and the consequences if they later change their mind.

"The problem is, nowadays it's so common for people to stretch their ears, and I'm just not sure if people are aware of the repercussions," he says.

http://www.foxnews.com/ne..gery-1.3154767

I know people are stupid, but everyone I've talked to seemed fully aware that their ears were screwed and they'd require surgery, they just didn't care. So I don't buy that they aren't aware. As usual, thinking about the "now".

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TOMapleLaughs Canucks All-Star

TOMapleLaughs

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When you're young, 'forever' seems like about 10 years. I'm well past my past predicted expiration date now (it was 34, i am now 39) and not only that, i'm looking forward to my 40's. However, i never gotted tatted or did any bodymods since i thought they were silly, esp. the zero-meaning ones. Almost caved in to get one of those 90's barbed wire arm tats and certainly glad i didn't do that. My brother got one, it didn't look that great to begin with, and he must regret it now. 'Dude, your tat was named after a Pamela Anderson movie.'

At the end of the day my feeling towards the vast majority of these visual bodymod people is that they're expressing invdividuality in a form that has become mainstream while posing in the fringes that do not exist. Regret will be there 9 times out of 10 as they eventually enter adulthood and the workforce. That may come sooner than expected, or later than expected, but it will come. There are only so many 'fringe' job positions available.

In the meantime, bodymod and tatoo shops will be happy to take your money.

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Mr. Ambien Canucks Star

Mr. Ambien

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Don't even think those look good when the spacers are in. Those floppy lobe holes gross me out.

And yes nothing worse than a bad tattoo, except a bad tattoo that is totally generic.

Same. My oldest sister (who is 5 years younger than me) had those stupid things in her ears. I'd like to say it taught her a lesson since she's 27 now, but she's a very popular (and wealthy) stripper (who does popular clubs and websites) so I can't really say sh**.

Of course, mom flipped out at it, because mom has to flip out over everything my sisters ever did. :lol:

(and before anyone asks, the answer is no)

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taxi Canucks Second-Line

taxi

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Same. My oldest sister (who is 5 years younger than me) had those stupid things in her ears. I'd like to say it taught her a lesson since she's 27 now, but she's a very popular (and wealthy) stripper (who does popular clubs and websites) so I can't really say sh**.

Of course, mom flipped out at it, because mom has to flip out over everything my sisters ever did. :lol:

(and before anyone asks, the answer is no)

Pics or it didn't happen :)

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aGENT Canucks Hall-of-Famer

aGENT

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I'm not sure what you guys are complaining about... These morons are propping up the economy! First they pay to have someone cut/punch all these expensive baubles in to their bodies and then they're paying to have all the damage reversed! :lol:

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RonMexico Canucks Second-Line

RonMexico

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I find most body mod, outside of earrings and maybe a pierced nose, hideous. Even most tattoos are ugly regardless of the reason, or no reason at all, for having one. That said, I don't care if people get them, they are the ones that have to live with them.

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TOMapleLaughs Canucks All-Star

TOMapleLaughs

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I'm not sure what you guys are complaining about... These morons are propping up the economy! First they pay to have someone cut/punch all these expensive baubles in to their bodies and then they're paying to have all the damage reversed! :lol:

2 in 5 american adults now have at least one tattoo.

$1.7bil annual business.

http://www.statisticbrain.com/tattoo-statistics/

Removal costs 5x to 10x more than than the tattoo itself.

Corrective ear lobe surgery can cost $1200 to $5000.

Thanks for your money, idiots.

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Chalky Canucks Third-Line

Chalky

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I've never been able to figure out the attraction to body mods, but I totally accept people's decisions to do whatever they want to their bodies. I try and not be hypocritical, I have loads of tattoos, none of them visible when wearing business casual attire. That was done on purpose. I got my first tattoo at 18 (39 now) and I have never regretted any of them. My ugliest tattoo is by far my favorite.

I think one of the problems with both tattoos and piercings is people making flippant choices when young. TOM said above.

When you're young, 'forever' seems like about 10 years

This is unfortunately true. My sincere advice is, if you are planning on getting a tattoo or body mod, make the appointment 6 months in advance to give yourself a lot of time to talk yourself out of it. If you have any doubt whatsoever, back out! These choices are not short term. As it is now, for me, I have dolphins kissing in the shape of a heart on my upper arm forever. I would never get it removed, covered up or even touched up. It's a part of me and I love it, but if it was on my neck, hands of face? Maybe not so much.

At the end of the day, it's up to you to make the decisions for your body. If you are getting a tattoo because you think tattoos are cool, then don't do it. Get a tattoo because you want the tattoo for you. The personal meaning to you is more important than the design to those judging it. That is the only way. The same applies to piercings. If it is a cosmetic choice, you are making a mistake. If it reflects a deep internal meaning, then it deserves consideration. It is a career limiting move though, that is for sure.

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Chalky Canucks Third-Line

Chalky

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2 in 5 american adults now have at least one tattoo.

$1.7bil annual business.

http://www.statisticbrain.com/tattoo-statistics/

Removal costs 5x to 10x more than than the tattoo itself.

Corrective ear lobe surgery can cost $1200 to $5000.

Thanks for your money, idiots.

And is 5-10x more painful, and has to be done repeatedly over time to make it fade away. Much easier to own your choices or give it the proper consideration beforehand to determine you don't really want it.

It's not like buying a new iphone, at least with that you know it's only going to last half as long as your contract.

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aGENT Canucks Hall-of-Famer

aGENT

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I've never been able to figure out the attraction to body mods, but I totally accept people's decisions to do whatever they want to their bodies. I try and not be hypocritical, I have loads of tattoos, none of them visible when wearing business casual attire. That was done on purpose. I got my first tattoo at 18 (39 now) and I have never regretted any of them. My ugliest tattoo is by far my favorite.

I think one of the problems with both tattoos and piercings is people making flippant choices when young. TOM said above.

This is unfortunately true. My sincere advice is, if you are planning on getting a tattoo or body mod, make the appointment 6 months in advance to give yourself a lot of time to talk yourself out of it. If you have any doubt whatsoever, back out! These choices are not short term. As it is now, for me, I have dolphins kissing in the shape of a heart on my upper arm forever. I would never get it removed, covered up or even touched up. It's a part of me and I love it, but if it was on my neck, hands of face? Maybe not so much.

At the end of the day, it's up to you to make the decisions for your body. If you are getting a tattoo because you think tattoos are cool, then don't do it. Get a tattoo because you want the tattoo for you. The personal meaning to you is more important than the design to those judging it. That is the only way. The same applies to piercings. If it is a cosmetic choice, you are making a mistake. If it reflects a deep internal meaning, then it deserves consideration. It is a career limiting move though, that is for sure.

AKA, don't be stupid.

I too have tat's (started at 17/18 and have plans for more) but like you, I made sure not to get anything visible while wearing work attire.

Punching large pieces of wood through your face might seem like a great idea when you're 18 but when you need a job to buy a car, put a downpayment on a house, raise and support a family etc...it becomes a bit limiting :lol:

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Jaimito Canucks Hall-of-Famer

Jaimito

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AKA, don't be stupid.

I too have tat's (started at 17/18 and have plans for more) but like you, I made sure not to get anything visible while wearing work attire.

Punching large pieces of wood through your face might seem like a great idea when you're 18 but when you need a job to buy a car, put a downpayment on a house, raise and support a family etc...it becomes a bit limiting :lol:

Some tribes do that on everyone. Plenty of examples of body piercing among various societies.

http://www.jpdutilleux.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/JPD-294.jpg

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