A nine year-old girl has been saved from a lifetime of taunts about her protruding ears with a pioneering 15-minute op that saw them corrected with GOLD.
Kirsty Biggs has become the youngest patient in Britain to undergo the plastic surgery with 24-carat gold-plated wires now pinning back her ears.
Kirsty had been taunted at junior school because her ears stuck out more than usual and her parents Colin and Donna feared she faced years of bullying.
Dad Colin, 44, sympathised because he had suffered himself as a child when he was nicknamed ‘Dumbo’ because of his own ears.
Colin and Donna agreed for Kirsty to take part in clinical trials of a new speedy procedure being trialled at London’s Royal Free Hospital.
Instead of the more common and higher risk surgery lasting 90 minutes under general anaesthetic her ears were pinned back in just 15 minutes.
She underwent local anaesthetic as her ears were each fitted with 24-carat, gold-plated wires no thicker than a human hair which is not invisible under the skin.
Mother-of-three Donna, 40, a part-time cleaner, said: “When Kirsty reached about nine months we realised her ears suck out a bit so we started to research different surgeries.
“When she was about three she started going to a little play group and we were aware of some teasing.
“Kids were being mean but she was too young to realise it.
“Colin was teased when he was younger because he has quite big ears and we were worried Kirsty might get bullied as well.
“We knew how cruel the world could be so we decided to look into the different procedures.
“We didn’t want Kirsty to be victimised and this wasn’t for any cosmetic reasons – we just know how mean kids can be.
“We live in a society that can be very narrow-minded at times and we knew it might be a problem for her growing up, especially during her teens.”
Colin, a mechanical engineer, added: “I’ve been quite shy for most of my life and conscious of my ears.
“For a long time it mattered to me and I would never have the confidence to put my hand up in class.
“It’s got to a point now where it doesn’t bother me but kids can be cruel at times, especially in their early teens and girls in particular.
“You hear about things on the news where kids have committed suicide because they have been bullied.
“But now Kirsty has the confidence to look good rather than have people sniggering at her.”
Donna and Colin, from Bedford, were approached by plastic surgeon Norbert Kang who was pioneering the new procedure.
The couple agreed to put Kirsty on his waiting list while he developed his technique and the youngster was fitted with the implants last year at the age of eight.
She was given a local anaesthetic and a small incision was made behind her ears where the golden implants were inserted.
Cartilage in the ear is automatically gripped and folded by the inserts to hold the ears back in their new position.
A couple of absorbable stitches are used to close the incisions and the procedure is done in less than 15 minutes.
Kirsty’s implants were free but they would have cost £3,465 if they had paid for them.
When she is older she can have the implants removed if she wishes, if she is happy with her ears.
Kirsty said: “I’m really happy with my ears now. All my friends have been really nice about it and they haven’t teased me.”
Consultant Mr Kang said: “I’ve been pleased with the results of the clinical trials so far, and I am looking forward to treating more patients as well as gathering further clinical data from the initial group of patients who have been treated.”
H I im kirsty biggs myself im advertising the ear fold and its really good.
Are the implants visible under the skin of the ear after you have them inserted?
Not any more as they are Gold plated
Sounds fantastic Kirsty. Please ark the Dr to bring it to Melbourne for my girl who is 9.
£3,465??!! Absolutely ridiculous, I’m disappointed.
& in Central London too. A long way to go for some.
£3,465??!! Absolutely ridiculous, I’m disappointed.
The Price is totally rediculous
Looks like they didnt do a very good job, they should have pinned them back way more..
The procedure allows for person to decide How far back the ears should be. This is how flexible this operation is. Check out the website before making comments about the procedure.
I’m 13 and my ears stick out. I have never been bullied but feel self conscious. Seeing this has shown me I am not alone. I am getting it correcting in a few months, so I’m excited.
I thought the first photo was before the operation. She is pretty why’d you give her surgery???
I don’t see why people make such a big deal about protruding ears. It is a flaw that many young and old people portray. I, myself, have ears that poke out and, yes, I am very self conscious of them, but why should I care what other people think of me? I’m not trying to impress people with my ears. It is the personality that matters. Being a high school student, I have never experienced the teasing that this girl has. Everybody has personal flaws and we should all learn to deal with them.If you are going to judge or dislike a person just because they have an abnormal feature, than screw you. I say embrace your flaws, because that is how God created you. I say notice your owns flaws before you go and tease somebody about theirs. Despite her ears, she a a very striking and beautiful young lady who should be treated like every other child without having to change her appearance. I encourage many of you out there who are reading this to go about your flaws without being self conscious, because every inch of you is beautiful and there is no reason to believe otherwise. If you do receive this surgery, than I support your decision. But please be aware that you would be stunning with or without the change. The people you want in your life are the people who will love you for your personality, not your physical appearance.