Is this a viable alternative to getting my ears pinned?

Hello,Recreating the antihelical fold via a piercing and placement of a stud can help in some cases of prominent ears. Cartilage piercings do carry a risk of infection and cartilage necrosis. The stud will invariably create some pressure of the underlying skin that could lead to long term problems. A revision otoplasty should work just fine in most cases so you should look into it. Good luck.

It is difficult to recommend a specific treatment for you without photos or a thorough exam. That said, generally speaking, piercings are not a great idea for reshaping ears.  Most likely, your antihelix lacks a true fold because of the way the cartilage formed.  Simply bending the cartilage and piercing it in place does nothing to treat the underlying problem and would result in significant tension at the piercing site.  A piercing is a focal wound, and wounds under tension do not heal well and are prone to complications including erosion and scarring.  My guess is that things would be fine initially, but you would eventually have problems down the road. Also, to achieve a normal contour you would likely need to pierce at multiple locations along the antihelix. You bring up an interesting idea to address prominent ears but I think the best recommendation for long-term success would be a revision otoplasty. Good luck!

You could try the relatively new Earfold implants. These are small metal clips inserted under the skin on the front surface They bend the antehelical fold into a more curved shape. They do have risks such as the metal becoming exposed.
An alternative is a redo otoplasty. The recurence rate after primary surgery is 4-5%. if your first surgery was done by stitching a redo procedure woud be my first choice