Take A Look At America’s Newest Plastic Surgery Craze: Elf Ears

The newest plastic surgery craze isn’t requesting a derriere like Kim Kardashian’s or a Heidi Montag-sized bust.  It actually concerns a much less conspicuous – and for that matter, provocative – part of the body.Inspired by popular fantasy franchises like Lord of the Rings and Avatar, teens in the United States are having their ears cut open and sculpted to look like elves, the Daily Mail reported.

Body modification artists perform this procedure by slicing the top of the cartilage and sewing it back together in a point, to resemble the ears that characters like Legolas and Arwen sport in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels.

“It was just something I thought would be fascinating,” Jordan Houtz, who underwent the procedure, told ABC’S Good Morning America show. “I wouldn’t go as far as saying I’m a ‘trekkie’.”

“But definitely Lord of the Rings – all the sci-fi stuff. It just fit my personality. It’s something that once you have it, it’s there forever.”

However, both teenagers and their parents should know that the cosmetic procedure comes with a number of health risks and can even destroy the ear.

According to Dr. Arthur Perry, author of Straight Talk About Cosmetic Surgery, sculpting cartilage is remarkably dangerous.

“The real risks are major deformity of the ear, which is very easy to have happen, and infection of the ear,” Perry said. “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 added.

The procedure typically costs a few hundred dollars and takes approximately 20 minutes.

Click here to read more from the Daily Mail.