Ever wanted to look like Spock or Legolas from “Lord of the Rings?” Well now you can through elf ear body modification, an unique procedure that’s currently all the rage among young adults who intentionally cut their ears to make them appear like those of elves.
According to a report by ABC, the surgery is painful and irreversible.
“It was just something I thought would be fascinating,” said Jordan Houtz, who underwent surgery for her elf ears. “I wouldn’t go as far as saying Trekie, but definitely Lord of the Rings — all the sci-fi kind of stuff. It just fits my personality.”
Although the “look” isn’t anything new and has been around since the 1960s (first seem in “Star Trek”), many young adults, especially on the West Coast, are beginning to go under the knife for real to have pointed ears.
Steve Haworth, a body modification artist from Tempe, Ariz., performs the procedure by slicing the top of the cartilage and then sews it back together in a point.
“There’s a lot of people out there who have an inner vision of themselves and they want to express that to the world around them,” said Haworth. “I’m very happy to be an artist that can provide that kind of work.”
Doctors, however warn that sculpting cartilage is dangerous.
“The real risks are one – major deformity of the ear, which is very easy to have happen and two, infection of the ear,” said Dr. Arthur W. Perry, author of “Straight Talk About Cosmetic Surgery.” “And if infection occurs, it can destroy the ear within days.”
“It’s very difficult and often it’s not possible to fully reconstruct a nice-looking ear,” he said.
