Earfold, One Year On...

I am writing this review as it is so hard to find any long term, follow up information on this procedure online! I tried to do all the research I could before getting this done, but there isn't much available, so I just went for it and I have now had the implants for a year. So here's my review...

Always hated my ears, as we all have, and so at 29 finally decided to have them done! Not having to wear huge head bandages for a week and the simplicity of this procedure attracted me to it. I have 2 kids so couldn't take a load of time out for recovery. I also liked being able to see what your ears will look like first. (To be honest I would have considered ANYTHING better than what I had). So anyway, booked into a private hospital in UK for consultation and then booked in for procedure 2 weeks later. This cost me about £1750 which was consultation, follow up, antibiotics and 1 Earfold in each ear. Its advertised online that the procedure is 20 mins but realistically, it takes longer than that, mine was about an hour. Had it done in the micro surgeries room, cleaned up my ears and then local anaesthetic in each ear. Mine was about 5/6 injections in each ear was incredibly painful, but as expected considering it's into such thin skin. Then the ear is cut and the implant slid inside, there is a lot of tugging and pulling around of your ears. Doesn't hurt as it you are numbed but its an odd feeling as you can feel the tugging etc. Anyway, after that I grabbed my antibiotics and painkillers and went home with bandages on my ears (see pic).

I was told to leave bandages on for a week but after a few days I took them off and my ears were very swollen but they didn't stick out anymore so they were perfect in my opinion. After a week or so the stitches were so irritating I just took them out myself and once they were out, the ears healed well. I slept with my head on a memory foam neck pillow so whichever ear I was lying on was in the hole as I longed to sleep on my side! So anyway, ears healed up and a year down the line I think this is how my ears will stay now and it isn't all perfect.

I can only sleep on memory foam pillows as after a while the ear I am lying on gets sore where the implant is. I initially thought I needed a softer pillow but after trying all sorts I have settled on memory foam pillows. I don't get the pain with those pillows. If I am staying at a friends I can use a normal pillow but around the implants do get sore whenever there is prolonged pressure on them such as sleeping. Holding a phone to my ear also causes me trouble as well as again its prolonged pressure directly onto the implant. I can tug my ears, push them, pull them around and I feel no pain or discomfort at all. But it is when there is direct pressure on the skin over the implant the skin rubs against it and becomes sore, as its such a thin layer of skin.

After a year of these implants I have come to the conclusion that I will always have to be slightly considerate of the implants as they are under very thin, sensitive skin. I will need to make sure I use the correct pillows and take care of my ears. For me, this is a very, very, small price to pay for having my ears the way they are now. I absolutely love them, and even with discomfort I have described, I would do it all over again. I don't know of anyone else who has had this done and online I could only find people who had just had it done and were happy or had them removed. For me I am happy with them and would not ever have them removed, but it has come with these issues explained above.

I hope this helps and please message me if you want to know anything else!

I put £1750 it was actually £2750!! Sorry about that! I had it done at one of the Spire hospitals in the UK. They do finance plans as well if you wanted to go that route. Other than that, everything is still going well.