The Secret to a Slimmer Face? It’s Not Botox—It’s Ear Fillers

It may be time to ditch the contour. Asian dermatologists—especially those from South Korea and China—are sculpting faces through the ears now.

By Biel Arevalo April 17, 2025

The Secret to a Slimmer Face? It's Not Botox—It's Ear Fillers

Silent Snatching

In the bustling beauty hubs of China and South Korea, a discreet pinch of filler behind the ear is doing what contouring dreams are made of.

@girin_korea
🧚본격 요정 귀필러 후기 영상🧚 지금 당장 거울을 들고 귀모양을 체크 해보세요✔ 귀가 누워 잘 안 보이나요? 귀가 작아 얼굴이 더 커 보이나요? 비대칭 귀로 얼굴이 조화롭지 않나요? 동안 분위기로 반전되고 싶나요? 이에 해당되는 여러분들! 모두 귀필러 대상자입니다🤭 본 영상에 등장하는 모든 인물은 촬영 및 업로드에 대해 사전 동의를 받은 상태입니다. 비방, 악의적 댓글, 또는 부적절한 표현은 발견 시 별도의 고지 없이 삭제될 수 있음을 알려드립니다. 귀필러 귀시술 요정귀 요정귀필러 귀필러전후 귀필러후기
♬ 오리지널 사운드 – 기린성형외과 – 기린성형외과

@girin_korea
엘프귀가 주는 고급미💎 얼굴을 돋보이게하는 요소가 몇가지 있어요. 그 중, 👂🏻귀👂🏻가 빠질 수 없는데, 누운 귀 볼륨을 보완해 더 작아보이는 얼굴과 함께 분위기를 바꿔주는 건 어떨까요?🤍 묶어도, 풀어도 예쁠 수 있게 맞춤 디자인해드려요🤭#귀필러 #작은귀 #누운귀전후 #누운귀시술
♬ 오리지널 사운드 – 기린성형외과 – 기린성형외과

“When I was in China, one of the dermatologists told me this is one of the most commonly performed procedures that he does, and I could not believe it,” dermatologist Dr. Jenny Liu revealed on Instagram. Who would? Ear fillers are a form of art in disguise, hidden in plain sight behind the ear, to mold your face without even bothering with the jaw or cheekbones.

Not only does it exist—it’s gaining a cult following.

How Is It Achieved?

Filler is placed behind the ear or into the antihelix—the curved ridge in the center—to mimic the lifted, tucked-back ears you’ll spot on Hanni of NJZ or TWICE’s Tzuyu. It’s called the “fairy ear” look, and in beauty-speak, it’s about negative space: the more distance between your cheek and ear, the slimmer your face appears (hello, virtually every K-pop idol).

^{No recovery time needed—just a quick procedure, often taking less than an hour}

“The result I think they’re trying to generate is lateral structure,” explains dermatologist Dr. Danny Guo. “But they don’t want to augment the lateral cheeks because Asians often have prominent zygomas [cheekbones] already. So instead, they hide it behind the ear.”

The dermatologists also mention its American counterpart, the ‘sneaky lift,’ where filler is tucked into the temporal hairline for a subtle lift. And while it’s not quite the same, who could forget that one Keeping Up With the Kardashians episode where Kris Jenner had her earlobes reduced? Not quite filler—but still, another way to shave ten years off.

Ear fillers are still pretty niche outside of China and South Korea, so don’t expect to find them on your local clinic menu just yet. But if you’re curious, try “elf ear” tape from Asian beauty shops and try the look on for size.

Featured Image: Photographed by DENNIS SULIT, MEGA July 2022

Photos: Photographed by DOOKIE DUCAY, MEGA Sept 2020