Strange ‘goblin ears’ trend of young Chinese

‘Goblin ears’ has become a recent trend in surgery among young Chinese.
Many people come to this type of surgery because they believe that “goblin ears” will help the face slimmer, even younger.

Catching the trend, advertisements promoting this “fashion” of surgery spread throughout Chinese social networks. “It’s magic. I haven’t changed anything on my face but my friends say I look different. My face is smaller and I look smarter.” a person shared on the Xiaohongshu website. “Oh, I want to be too”, “unbelievable”, “definitely worth the money” , others commented. Many young people, both men and women, are flocking to hospitals to learn about this new type of surgery. Many people believe that “goblin ears” will help the face slimmer, even younger. (Photo: SCMP) At Mylike Medical Cosmetic – a famous surgical service provider in Shanghai, the demand for “goblin ear” surgery is so great that customers have to queue to get surgery. “It’s very safe and common. Our clients have to line up for surgery every day,” Lin Lin – owner of Mylike Medical Cosmetic said. Yu Wenlin, a doctor specializing in ear reconstruction at the Gaoshang Medical Aesthetic Center in Guangzhou, said that there were days when he performed up to six “goblin ear” surgeries. “Many young people, mainly 2K generation friends, want to have ‘goblin ear’ surgery after I helped an internet celebrity do it in early 2020.” Yu said. There are two common methods of goblin ear surgery. One is to add artificial cartilage or cartilage from other parts of the body to be implanted in the posterior ear area. Yu often uses this approach. The second is an injection of hyaluronic acid. However, Wang Jiangyun, a plastic surgeon at 3 People’s Hospital in Zhengzhou, Henan province, warned that goblin ear surgery carries risks of infection, allergies, blood clots, and skin necrosis. using hyaluronic acid. “I dare say that after this fever of love ears, there will be an “army” of beauticians asking to get their original ears back. As time goes by, you will find that these fads become ugly . So I advise people to consider this,” Wang said. Yu, a surgeon in Guangzhou, is surprised that goblin ears have become so popular. However, Yu also believes that this fever will soon pass. Yu said he would refuse cases requiring goblin ear surgery because the surgery is “one-way, no-return”. “As doctors, we need to look at the patient’s condition in the long run. There are young people who ask for it impulsively.” , Yu said. According to a January report, China’s plastic surgery market grew from about 64.8 billion yuan in 2015 to nearly 177 billion yuan in 2019, leading the world’s growth in plastic surgery. The industry’s annual growth rate is 28.7%, much higher than the global growth rate of 8.2%.