I’m a doctor and there’s an act women should never do – and it will make sense why 20 years from now
An American dermatologist has shared a simple action that doesn’t cost a thing – but could one day have a huge anti-ageing effect on your appearance.
Dr. Sam Ellis, from California, revealed a piece of ‘cosmetic advice’ that if implemented now, could prevent issues 20 years down the line.
And it has to do with your earlobes.
Dr. Ellis explained in her TikTok video that as people age their ‘earlobes get saggier’ and ‘looser’.
‘If you wear earrings, that can become a problem, because your earrings can start to look very sad in your ear holes,’ she said.
‘It’s not usually something you notice in your 20s or your 30s. But come 40s, come 50s, your earrings are not looking as cute in their holes as they once were.’
The cosmetic dermatologist goes on to explain that there’s one simple act that can help prevent the likelihood of overly saggy earlobes.
‘The easiest thing you can do to prevent premature stretching of your ear holes is to not sleep in your earrings,’ she recommended.
California-based dermatologist Dr. Samantha Ellis shared a simple cosmetic tip to prevent earlobes appearing saggy as you age
The expert explained that wearing earrings to bed placed ‘unnecessary strain and stress on your piercing holes’ – and should be avoided to prevent saggy earlobes
The doctor explained that sleeping in earrings places ‘unnecessary strain and stress on your piercing holes’.
Over time, this could cause them to stretch out quicker, resulting in earrings no longer sitting well within the holes, or making the piercing hole so stretched that earrings look too low on the lobe.
However, the skin expert noted that this advice wasn’t applicable to earrings higher up on the ear where the cartilage is firmer – only those piercings on the ‘floppy earlobe’.
The video quickly attracted over 1,100 comments – many from stunned women who have been unknowingly wearing earrings non-stop for years on end.
‘I didn’t know people were taking off earrings every night,’ read one floored reply.
‘I’ve been wearing mine since I was a toddler for 20 years,’ read another stunned response.
‘*Takes off my earrings while watching this video in bed*‘ admitted a third person.
There were also follow-up questions for the doctor from women who regularly wore a certain style of earrings at nighttime.
In a TikTok video shared to her @drsamathaellis account, the dermatologist recommended that all types of earrings should be removed nightly – even small studs or hoops
‘What about tiny stud earrings? Should those come out too?’ asked one person.
Another questioned if ‘small hoops’ were okay because ‘they don’t feel like they pull’ while they slept.
In both instances, Dr Ellis replied with her steadfast recommendation that all types of earrings should ‘ideally’ removed at night.
A couple of commenters noted under the video that the doctor’s message had confirmed their own observations.
‘I thought I was imagining it!’ a 52-year-old woman replied, adding that she was adamant that her ‘ear lobes are floppier than they used to be’.
‘For those of us where it’s too late, is the surgery to sew them up worth it?’ questioned another older woman.
Dr Ellis assured her there were cosmetic options to refresh the appearance of the ears.
‘Ear lobe repairs can be amazing,’ she offered.
‘A little filler in the lobes can also be helpful if the stretch is minimal.’
Dr Ellis noted that her recommendation to remove earrings nightly was not applicable to piercings on the upper areas of the ear, because the cartilage in these spots was firmer and therefore less likely to become saggy over time
Also among the commenters were confident replies from women who’d always adhered to the practice of removing their earrings before bed.
‘I’ve been doing this my whole life. My earlobes will be SNATCHED,’ read one reply.
‘The ONE thing I’ve done right cosmetically LOL,’ added another.
‘I didn’t realise sleeping with earrings in was a thing. It’s like a bra for me, off the minute I get home,’ said a third person.
There’s a general misconception that our ears (along with noses) are an area of the body that never stops growing.
While our ears may appear different in shape as we age, this effect is a result of skin changes and gravity – not growth.
As we get older, the cartilage and skin in the ear area begins to break down. Coupled with gravity, this can give the ears a droopy appearance.
In addition to this, the rest of our face loses bone, muscle and fat. This overall loss of volume over time makes the face smaller – and therefore by comparison, the ears can appear longer and bigger.
As mentioned by Dr. Ellis, cosmetic dermatologists and plastic surgeons offer a range of rejuvenation procedures for stretched earlobes. This includes using fillers like hyaluronic acid to plump the area and stimulate collagen production.
