Stretched earlobes lead to trend in corrective surgery

Marie McCullough, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Thursday, December 11, 2014, 1:08 AM

Aaron Storck was 12 when he started stretching holes in his earlobes, aspiring to be as cool as his big brother.

Storck wound up with 11/2-inch-wide earlobe plugs (a.k.a. flesh tunnels, spools, flares, gauges) - bigger than bottle caps.

What he didn't foresee was that he would mature, move into the work world, and rue having eye-catching ears that the staid mainstream found unappealing. Now 29, Storck, of Easton, Pa. spent $1,200 on reconstruction of his holey lobes this year.

"Every now and then I miss having them," said Storck, an information technologist in Pen Argyl schools. "But when you're trying to have a serious conversation and people keep staring at your ears, it's a problem."

Physicians and professional piercers agree that over the last six years, plastic surgery on enlarged earlobes has become common enough to earn a name: Earlobeplasty. Cosmetic surgeons' groups aren't yet surveying members about it, unlike procedures such as liposuction, breast implants, tattoo removal, and otoplasty (fixing protruding or defective ears). But that could change.

Earlobeplasty is still new, said Gloria Gasaatura, spokeswoman for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Only time will tell its significance, she said.

Anecdotally, though, the trend is clear, as are the sociological reasons for it. Giant bejeweled earlobes are marks of beauty, nobility, bravery, or wisdom in many indigenous and ancient cultures. (The Buddha is often depicted with stretched lobes.) In modern Western cultures, not so much.

"These individuals are now thirtysomething. They're done rebelling - I know that's a judgmental thing to say," said University of Virginia plastic surgeon Stephen S. Park, president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. "But they now realize that to succeed in some circles, [stretched lobes] are a real hindrance."

James Weber, owner of Infinite Body Piercing in Queen Village, said people who opt for earlobe surgery "are tired of getting stared at, or it doesn't fit a new lifestyle."

See original here:
Stretched earlobes lead to trend in corrective surgery