There’s a new fad in town. And it’s got pointy ears. That’s right; forget the big doe eyes, the double eyelids and the boob jobs. Today, self-respecting ladies in China are snapping up plastic surgery appointments like there’s no tomorrow for… elf ears.
城里有一种新时尚。而且它有尖尖的耳朵。这是正确的;忘记大母鹿的眼睛、双眼皮和隆胸吧。如今，中国有自尊心的女士们正在抢购整形手术预约，就像精灵耳朵没有明天一样。
The trend has begun to really take hold in the past couple of months. Many a young Chinese now think that larger ears makes their faces look slimmer and thus more attractive. And as ever, it’s an added bonus if they can also look like a movie star, only not Dobby from Harry Potter or Yoda from Star Wars.
在过去的几个月里，这种趋势已经开始真正占据主导地位。现在许多中国年轻人认为，较大的耳朵使他们的脸看起来更苗条，从而更有吸引力。和以往一样，如果他们也能看起来像电影明星，但不是《哈利·波特》中的多比或《星球大战》中的尤达，那就是额外的好处。
According to YourChineseAstrology.com, “Big ears are auspicious while the small inauspicious. … Big ears belong to vigorous and active people; the small ears indicate poor health and a quiet personality in early youth”.
根据占星网的说法，“耳朵大为吉，小为凶……耳朵大的人精力充沛、好动；耳朵小则身体不好，性格安静。”
But it’s not that simple. Once a bigger ear becomes more protrudent, it’s a deformity that until now might have needed surgical treatment. Yesterday’s ugly is today’s beauty.
但事情没那么简单。一旦更大的耳朵变得更加突出，这种畸形到目前为止可能需要手术治疗。昨天的丑陋是今天的美丽。
Demand for elf ears (精灵耳) is now beginning to soar to the extent that many aesthetic institutions across the country have launched elf or fairy ear surgery.
现在精灵耳的需求开始猛增，全国很多美容机构都推出了精灵耳手术。
Elf ears are typically created by injecting the ears with hyaluronic acid, which is often used in dermal fillers. This will cause the ears to swell and thus protrude more. But as with any surgery, there are concerns for safety.
精灵耳通常是通过向耳朵注射透明质酸来制作的，透明质酸通常用于真皮填充剂。这会导致耳朵肿胀并突出更多。但与任何手术一样，也存在安全问题。
Liu Yufeng, Chief Physician of the plastic surgery division at the Second Hospital of Nanjing, spoke with Vice as to the risks associated with cosmetic procedures for elf ears.
南京市第二医院整形外科主任医师刘玉峰接受 Vice 采访时谈到了精灵耳整容手术的风险。
“The first is infection around the ear after surgery, which is very tricky to treat; the second is embolism caused by injecting hyaluronic acid into blood vessels, which may be fatal,” Liu said.
“一是手术后耳部周围感染，治疗起来非常棘手；二是玻尿酸注射到血管中引起栓塞，可能会致命。”刘说。
With elf ear procedures now typically going for around ¥10,000, one doctor in Guangzhou claims he is now doing up to six every day.
目前，小精灵耳手术的费用通常约为 10,000 元人民币，广州的一位医生声称，他现在每天最多要做六次手术。
Dr. Yu Wenlin from the Gaoshang Medical Cosmetic Centre told the South China Morning Post that he spotted the trend beginning slowly after he gave elf ears to an online celebrity last year.
高尚医疗美容中心的于文林医生告诉《南华早报》，去年他给一位网红赠送了精灵耳朵后，他发现这种趋势正在慢慢开始。
