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Ear we go again.
In yet another plastic surgery trend sparked by GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, patients who have dropped the pounds are now longing to plump up their sagging lobes — which, according to plastic surgeons, is a fast and easy way to give ears back their “youthful” appearance.
“It seems so random, but one morning I was putting earrings on and noticed my earlobes seemed a little heavier, as if they were being pulled downward,” Stephanie L., who lost 45 pounds on Ozempic, told The Post.
“They just seemed to be different, and I thought it was in my head, but I looked in the magnifying mirror and thought, ‘Is it possible my earlobes lost some volume’?” she continued. “It’s such a small detail in such a subtle area, but it bothered me more than I expected it would.”
Rapid weight loss can lead to sagging skin. That’s true regardless of how the weight has been dropped — but with the popularity of GLP-1 drugs, more people are shedding pounds more quickly than they ever did before.
That’s given rise to things like “Ozempic face,” “Ozempic breasts” and even “Ozempic butt” — and people rushing to the plastic surgeon to fix it. But despite the growing trend toward GLP-1-inspired anti-aging measures, combating earlobe sagging likely wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card.
Yet Dr. Luis Macias, a double-board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Aesthetic MdR in Los Angeles, California, said he’s seen an uptick in ear restoration procedures following the use of GLP-1 drugs.
“A lot of people don’t think about the long-term effects of Ozempic,” he said. “Following rapid weight loss, the ears tend to lose fullness and get longer at the lobes, basically speeding up the aging process.”
In his practice, he hears complaints about weight loss leading to noticeably wrinkled, thinning and stretched-out ears.
“Just like when we get older, slimming down can cause the ears to become floppier and lose thickness, making them appear flatter and not as pliable,” he said.
All about the bling
Twenty-five years ago, no one would have thought about beautifying the earlobes, according to Dr. Michael Cohen, a board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Belcara Health in Baltimore, Maryland. But he isn’t surprised that people are all ears about it now — and not just because saggy lobes can be aging.
“Women like to wear pretty jewelry around the earlobe, so it makes sense that they would want to bring attention to it, especially with the use of filler,” he said. “Plump can be pretty in the right places.”
It’s not just the look — the way jewelry sits can change after weight loss, too.
“I often hear patients complain that their earrings don’t hold in place as well after losing the weight,” said Macias. In fact, when he reduces earlobes, he usually has to close existing ear piercings — patients can pierce it again six weeks later in the proper place.
Give ’em a little lobe
There are a few ways to fix drooping ears. Both docs use fillers, which Macias calls an “easy, quick fix” — and Cohen says give an added perk of helping earrings stay in place better.
“Unlike lips or other areas of the face, the ear isn’t a terribly mobile area, and also doesn’t typically receive a lot of pressure, which means [filler] doesn’t break down as quickly,” said Cohen. “It’s very low-risk procedure with immediate gratification and long-lasting results.”
But while injecting hyaluronic acid gives the earlobe a more “full effect,” it doesn’t address the skin. To fix the length or position of the earlobe in order to achieve “cuter, smaller or rounder ears,” Cohen often performs minor ear reduction surgery, which only requires local anesthesia.
There’s also fat grafting, which involves harvesting small amounts of fat through minor liposuction from areas such as the abdomen, flanks or inner thighs and injecting it in the earlobes.
When there’s not enough fat on the patient, they can use off-the-shelf material — as well as cadaver fat.
“We can achieve optimal results with off-the-shelf material, as well as hyaluronic acids and even cadaver fat,” said Cohen.
Nip/tuck to normal
Stephanie initially decided to play things by ear when it came to her problem — until she was trying on earrings and noticed a drastic difference.
While she and Macias discussed different techniques, she decided that adding fat would be more long-lasting. The doc harvested Stephanie’s own fat from her thigh via liposuction and followed it up with an earlobe reduction — a set of procedures that costs $9,500.
It was a very smooth recovery, with only “some light soreness” for a couple of days — and she’s “thrilled” with the results, especially when she wears ponytails.
“My ears are soft, refined and useful again,” she said. “I didn’t want something so small to keep having such a large effect on me, I’m so glad I did it. I just feel back to normal.”
New ears, new me
About a year ago, Anne Bickford, 61, got a facelift.
She’d lost 40 pounds on Mounjaro, but found that a sneaky sign of aging — and weight loss — continued to stare back at her in the mirror.
“My earlobes were loose and made me feel older,” she said. “When I put my earrings in, I noticed that I didn’t have the same volume, and I felt it was aging my face.”
To restore her pre-weight loss lobes, Cohen added filler — which costs about $850 — to restore her volume and make her ears appear rounder and more symmetric.
“I usually wear my hair behind my ears or on one side, so wearing earrings on my fuller ears looks and makes me feel younger,” she continued.
Others also started taking note. One of Bickford’s friends, a doctor herself, noticed that her earrings looked especially “pretty” and immediately attributed it to her “new ears.”
The friend was so impressed she wound up also going for her own ear filler.
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