The Deeply Vain Ear Issue That Is Driving You Crazy—And How to Fix it

Ears are hot right now. The statement earring has dominated the runways for seasons, of course, and in addition to the dangling accessories, the appendages themselves are having a moment. Just look to Proenza Schouler’s recent Spring show, where models floated down the runway with lobes daubed in white and yellow paint, or the recent street style resurgence of casual updos: It’s safe to say that 2017 is looking like the year of the ear.

“We’ve mastered the face, neck, and chest,” says New York City dermatologist Francesca Fusco, M.D., “so it’s only natural that the ear area would be next.” The ears, like the tops of hands, can reveal signs of age, she explains, due to elongated holes, brown spots, and sagging. “Any treatment I do to the face, I repeat on the ears,” she adds, mentioning that the surface’s tough skin can handle anything from Fraxel lasers, to retinol, to peels. And the same goes for your sunscreen and hyaluronic acid serum; Fusco recommends extending your application, morning and evening, onto the entire ear.

Still, if you’ve spent years in heavy chandeliers, seriously stretched-out lobes are likely beyond the capabilities of your anti-aging cream. Fortunately, there’s a quick, in-office fix that can help combat the drooping just as it can elsewhere on your face: fillers.

Yes, that’s right, injecting your ears with Restylane or other hyaluronic acid fillers is a thing—and it’s becoming increasingly popular across the country as a quick way to plump up the area and lift slack lobes: “You only need a drop or two strategically injected around the pierced hole,” she says. The injections prevent delicate lobes from ripping and provide extra cushioning for heavy jewelry. A five-minute, virtually painless procedure that will make my new gorgeous-but-hefty Marni earrings sit up straight and provide ears with the stamina to wear them all night long? I had to have it.

As I sat in the chair, nervously trying to avoid the sight of the needle, I meekly asked if the area needed to be numbed. “You won’t even know it’s happening,” Fusco declared as she swiftly injected the area. And she was right: It was over before I knew it, and as I put my studs back in, the results were immediate. The diamonds stood up just right, and the area felt firmer and thicker. My ears simply looked happier.

Of course, happiness has a price: The procedure averages around $500, and requires touch-ups once or twice a year. And in the most extreme cases, it might not be enough: Severely damaged holes may need to be stitched and re-pierced. Still, for the earring-obsessed, it’s a quick, almost effortless solution to a particularly irritating problem. So with gala season on the horizon and statement danglers holding strong, we ask: Are your ears ready?

 

 

 

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