Chinese beauty influencers are pursuing increasingly far-reaching physical modifications to achieve viral-worthy proportions.
The latest fixation centers on “high skull” measurements and protruding “elf ears,” with some individuals undergoing surgical procedures that medical professionals warn carry significant health risks.
The high skull trend revolves around a specific facial proportion: if the distance from hairline to skull crown exceeds the distance from eyebrows to hairline, the face appears smaller and more youthful. What began as harmless hair styling tutorials quickly escalated into injectable fillers and permanent surgical interventions.
One beauty influencer received approximately 50 syringes of hyaluronic acid injected into her scalp, later documenting her experience when large patches of hair began falling out.
“A month later, her hair started falling out in clumps,” according to online reports. Doctors determined that excessive filler created tension and restricted blood flow, causing hair follicles to enter dormancy.
The trend has progressed beyond temporary fillers. A 29-year-old woman from Jiangsu paid 180,000 yuan at a beauty salon for bone cement injections, a material typically reserved for reconstructive medical surgeries. The procedure involved opening the scalp, injecting and molding the cement, then allowing it to harden permanently. The entire process took just 20 to 30 minutes, with the patient leaving wrapped in bandages.
Medical experts have raised alarms about potential long-term consequences, including disrupted blood supply, permanent baldness, and neurological complications. There have been questions about whether these modifications can be reversed and what happens when beauty standards inevitably shift.
Running parallel to the high skull obsession is the “elf ear” trend, where individuals receive injections behind their ears to make them protrude outward. Influencer Chen Xianen posted before and after photos, claiming the injections made her face appear smaller.
The procedure has gained popularity despite protruding ears historically being considered undesirable. One male celebrity, Xiao Chaoye, went further by implanting rib cartilage into his ears to achieve the appearance.
Social media platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu amplify beauty standards to dangerous extremes. Beauty salons market these procedures by emphasizing aesthetic rewards while minimizing medical risks, creating what observers call “aesthetic manipulation” that pressures individuals to pursue permanent body modifications for temporary online trends.
