ModBlog reader Brendan sent me this link of a news story NBC posted recently. It seems that a plastic surgeon has invented a “new surgery” that can reverse the process of stretched ears.
When Daniel Bocchino was 16, he started stretching his ear lobes, expanding them until he had an inch-wide hole in each lobe. But by the time he was 19, he was so over the piercing trend known as ear gauging. He removed the thick plugs from his lobes and slathered the holes with all kinds of weird ointments and creams, hoping the stretched-out skin would just shrink back up. But that’s not how it works — once that hole is stretched any wider than 6 millimeters, there’s no going back.
Glatt, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Morristown, N.J., says he’s seeing more people — mostly young people, and mostly men — who started gauging their ears as teenagers and are now joining the military, seeking a professional job or, like Bocchino, are simply over the fad, and are trying to figure out how to fill that hole back up. The surgery takes about half an hour per ear, and costs anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000, which Bocchino paid for himself with the money he makes as a tattoo artist. He says he’s happy about the results — the worst part of it all was probably telling his parents he regretted gauging his ears in the first place.
So it seems the good doctor, and the reporters at NBC have found a way to save all of the people with stretched lobes from the future embarrassment of facing the world when this silly fad is over.
Excuse me while I slam the palm of my hand into my forehead.
Color me shocked that a news outlet wouldn’t do research into a story before going to print with it. Aside from the obviously degrading language being used towards those with stretched lobes, there’s also the fact that the article is claiming that this doctor is the first person to figure out how to “fix” the lobes, and charges quite a bit for the reconstruction. It’s ok NBC. Everyone makes mistakes.
For those of you who don’t feel that your choice of modifications is part of a fad, then kindly enjoy this image of a woman who is obviously upset with her lobes and is regretting ever having stretched them. You can see the sadness in her eyes that tell the story of how the only job she can get because of her lobes is that of a cutlery rack.
Seriously. That’s the saddest face I’ve ever seen. There’s no way I could make a mistake about that. Could I?
Comments
70 responses to “Everyone makes mistakes, right?”
Poor girl, at least she’s getting a good fork or two though……..
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Ok, I’ll go.
Poor girl, at least she’s getting a good fork or two though……..
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Ok, I’ll go.
What a lying cunt. The procedures in my country only cost 70USD, and my friends fixed their gauged ears for various reasons (blowouts, improper care, decision to do other mods etc)
I have friends who work in respectable positions in companies as managers and directors with their GAUGED ears. Seriously. And everybody’s cool about it, it’s so common in my country to the point that having gauged ears is as common as having ear piercings! Love it 🙂
What a lying cunt. The procedures in my country only cost 70USD, and my friends fixed their gauged ears for various reasons (blowouts, improper care, decision to do other mods etc)
I have friends who work in respectable positions in companies as managers and directors with their GAUGED ears. Seriously. And everybody’s cool about it, it’s so common in my country to the point that having gauged ears is as common as having ear piercings! Love it 🙂
Yay for shock value news. One of the local tattoo/piercing shops here offers lobe “re-shaping” as a standard service. Their head piercer had his “fixed”- from being able to fit a drink can to unpierced- purely so he could start over.
Yay for shock value news. One of the local tattoo/piercing shops here offers lobe “re-shaping” as a standard service. Their head piercer had his “fixed”- from being able to fit a drink can to unpierced- purely so he could start over.
I didn’t have any trouble finding professional work.
I’ve had stretched lobes since I was 19. My mum like most was horrified: “What will you do when you want to find a steady job?!”
Since then I have worked as a business account manager for a cellphone network for 3+ years and now I’m a beginner high school teacher.
Granted they are only 12mm so easy to disguise if need be but I believe it’s a lot more socially acceptable to have stretched ears these days.
I also think a guy in a suit with stretchers is hot 😛
I didn’t have any trouble finding professional work.
I’ve had stretched lobes since I was 19. My mum like most was horrified: “What will you do when you want to find a steady job?!”
Since then I have worked as a business account manager for a cellphone network for 3+ years and now I’m a beginner high school teacher.
Granted they are only 12mm so easy to disguise if need be but I believe it’s a lot more socially acceptable to have stretched ears these days.
I also think a guy in a suit with stretchers is hot 😛
“once that hole is stretched any wider than 6 millimeters, there’s no going back.”
I’ve seen people who’ve gone up to 16/18/20mm who’ve then shrunk down, some have just stuck at 10/12mm, others have gone right back down, and while they havent achieved the ‘pinprick’ holes that you’d get from a 1.2mm or 1.6mm hole (16G/14G) they’ve had them barely noticeable (maybe 2 or 3 mm).
and at the same time, I’ve seen people at 8/10mm who cant get them any smaller.
its down to the individual and their stretching methods (ie have they gone up too quickly, split and scarred the inside of the hole and therefore made future stretching or downsizing a lot harder for themselves)
the choice to downsize or have surgery to reconstruct the lobes is as much the individual’s choice as their decision to stretch in the 1st place, whatever the reasons, and i dont think they should be criticized for it.
“once that hole is stretched any wider than 6 millimeters, there’s no going back.”
I’ve seen people who’ve gone up to 16/18/20mm who’ve then shrunk down, some have just stuck at 10/12mm, others have gone right back down, and while they havent achieved the ‘pinprick’ holes that you’d get from a 1.2mm or 1.6mm hole (16G/14G) they’ve had them barely noticeable (maybe 2 or 3 mm).
and at the same time, I’ve seen people at 8/10mm who cant get them any smaller.
its down to the individual and their stretching methods (ie have they gone up too quickly, split and scarred the inside of the hole and therefore made future stretching or downsizing a lot harder for themselves)
the choice to downsize or have surgery to reconstruct the lobes is as much the individual’s choice as their decision to stretch in the 1st place, whatever the reasons, and i dont think they should be criticized for it.
Sweet gaugez bro.
Sweet gaugez bro.
If you actually take a look at the article and the job the surgeon did, it was horrible. He goes on about how putting stretched lobes back together is like putting a puzzle back together. His puzzle solving skills are mediocre at best! The person’s lobes look like little bums.
I’ve seen artists in body piercing/modification studios “hack and stitch” lobes one thousand times better then this “qualified” plastic surgeon did.
Now I am not saying that he can’t pull off amazing rhinoplasty or breast augmentation and the likes, though his skills for ear lobe reconstruction (in the stretched lobe department) are not there.
If you actually take a look at the article and the job the surgeon did, it was horrible. He goes on about how putting stretched lobes back together is like putting a puzzle back together. His puzzle solving skills are mediocre at best! The person’s lobes look like little bums.
I’ve seen artists in body piercing/modification studios “hack and stitch” lobes one thousand times better then this “qualified” plastic surgeon did.
Now I am not saying that he can’t pull off amazing rhinoplasty or breast augmentation and the likes, though his skills for ear lobe reconstruction (in the stretched lobe department) are not there.
I’ve never stretched my lobes that big. I like them at a half inch, it’s perfect for me. Stretching my lobes is one thing I’ve never regretted and I work a fairly professional job. I’ve never had an issue but I never wear tunnels to work (I believe this may make the inexperienced fairly oblivious to the fact that yes, the holes in my ears are that large haha). Obviously, my lobes are not HUGE but you can still do professional work if you at least try to keep in on the down low lol
Now, one of my tattoos on the other hand…Have one I’d love to never see again and of course it is the most visible. Did NOT think that one through thoroughly enough and I do regret my decision in that case. I’m fairly lucky though as I have always put a lot of thought into my other tattoos and piercings. Don’t regret any of those. I don’t criticize people for “regretting” their decision as I would have never thought I’d have a distaste for some of my work. It happens. Sometimes you just simply outgrow something you once liked! Doesn’t make you a sell-out. Sometimes even the most time consuming thought process doesn’t matter, it’s a reality that people change, end up liking something else, or not liking whatever it is they have. Luckily, there are ways to…”change” things (laser treatments, reconstructive surgery, etc). Let me put this out there however and say those “reversals” are EXPENSIVE and time consuming in the case of laser treatments (or not complete reversals…think tattoo removal, hardly ever does skin that has been laser treated look exactly the same as before). I would say it’s obviously definitely worth the time to think any changes you are going to make to your body are well thought out, but sometimes…we just change.
I have seen some really nice reconstruction lobe work done by mod practitioners and some really bad work done by surgeons. I would think you’d need to research the surgeon or the mod practitioner before taking that step.
I’ve never stretched my lobes that big. I like them at a half inch, it’s perfect for me. Stretching my lobes is one thing I’ve never regretted and I work a fairly professional job. I’ve never had an issue but I never wear tunnels to work (I believe this may make the inexperienced fairly oblivious to the fact that yes, the holes in my ears are that large haha). Obviously, my lobes are not HUGE but you can still do professional work if you at least try to keep in on the down low lol
Now, one of my tattoos on the other hand…Have one I’d love to never see again and of course it is the most visible. Did NOT think that one through thoroughly enough and I do regret my decision in that case. I’m fairly lucky though as I have always put a lot of thought into my other tattoos and piercings. Don’t regret any of those. I don’t criticize people for “regretting” their decision as I would have never thought I’d have a distaste for some of my work. It happens. Sometimes you just simply outgrow something you once liked! Doesn’t make you a sell-out. Sometimes even the most time consuming thought process doesn’t matter, it’s a reality that people change, end up liking something else, or not liking whatever it is they have. Luckily, there are ways to…”change” things (laser treatments, reconstructive surgery, etc). Let me put this out there however and say those “reversals” are EXPENSIVE and time consuming in the case of laser treatments (or not complete reversals…think tattoo removal, hardly ever does skin that has been laser treated look exactly the same as before). I would say it’s obviously definitely worth the time to think any changes you are going to make to your body are well thought out, but sometimes…we just change.
I have seen some really nice reconstruction lobe work done by mod practitioners and some really bad work done by surgeons. I would think you’d need to research the surgeon or the mod practitioner before taking that step.
Yes, it’s also quite obvious they did not do their research before publishing this story. It’s really sad journalism has gone so low that no research is even required. Gauging….gah.
Yes, it’s also quite obvious they did not do their research before publishing this story. It’s really sad journalism has gone so low that no research is even required. Gauging….gah.
If you go around calling them “gauges” then you’re part of the problem.
If you go around calling them “gauges” then you’re part of the problem.