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Ear today, gone tomorrow?
TikTok’s latest beauty craze has users wrapping rubber bands around their ears for an instant “facelift” — but experts warn this viral hack is bogus — and dangerous.
The wacky trend, which reportedly originated in South Korea, involves looping rubber bands tightly around each ear for 10 to 30 minutes.
Devotees claim the trick drains facial puffiness, lifts cheekbones, and sculpts jawlines — all without needles, knives, or filters.
The method gained major traction after New York City-based dermatologist Dr. David Kim posted a TikTok video calling it the “biggest beauty hack in Korea right now.”
His video racked up over 6.2 million views, launching a wave of copycat clips over the past few weeks with rubber-banded beauty buffs flaunting allegedly tighter, more contoured faces.
But medical professionals say the whole thing is a total stretch.
“There is absolutely no basis for this,” Dr. Brooke Jeffy, an Arizona-based dermatologist, told Popsugar, slamming the technique as ineffective and unsafe.
“Wrapping rubber bands or hair ties around your ears is not an effective or safe method for de-puffing your face,” echoed Katya Khayutin, a master aesthetician and owner of BelVer Studio in the same article.
While real lymphatic drainage massages can reduce swelling, Khayutin informed the outlet that those results come from trained, deliberate techniques — not makeshift ear tourniquets.
Khayutin acknowledged that “manipulations around the ears are indeed a part of lymphatic drainage massage,” but explained that simply wrapping rubber bands or hair ties around the ears won’t achieve the desired effect.
The experts explained that while some users might notice brief results, it’s likely due to physical skin tension rather than actual fluid drainage.
The rubber bands may be pulling the skin back to create a short-lived lifting effect, Khayutin stressed — but once they’re removed, the face typically returns to its original appearance.
And this beauty “hack” isn’t just useless — it can actually do harm.
“[It] could restrict blood flow, cause discomfort, and potentially lead to skin irritation or damage, particularly to the delicate skin around the ears,” Khayutin warned.
Instead of torturing your earlobes in the name of a more sculpted visage, Jeffy and Khayutin recommend sticking to tried-and-true methods for fighting facial puffiness.
These include staying hydrated, getting enough shut-eye, and cutting back on salt and alcohol.
Sleeping with your head slightly elevated can also help, Jeffy suggested, as this can “prevent fluid from pooling in your face overnight.”
Khayutin also advised applying cold compresses or chilled face rollers with upward strokes, swearing by the power of manual lymphatic massage.
“The best method is lymphatic drainage massage,” Khayutin said, encouraging gentle, sweeping strokes along the jawline, cheeks, and under the eyes using light pressure and facial oil.
And before testing any viral trend, the pros agree on one final point: consult a real expert before turning your ears into office supply experiments.
