Man who claims his 'tribal' ears got him rejected from countless jobs has his lobes TRIMMED in £1,900 corrective procedure

A man who couldn't get a job after getting 'tribal' earlobes has forked out more than £1,900 to get them fixed.

Sam McCorkell, 21, from Buckinghamshire, felt 'mentally defeated' after being rejected from countless jobs and ultimately decided that his rockstar image was ruining his chances of landing a career.

The musician first had earlobe stretchers, also known as 'tribal ears', put in at the age of 12 after being inspired by his heavy metal heroes.

The 1.2in (30mm) stretchers were the largest available on the market at the time and, over time, worked to stretch and enlarge Sam's lobes.

But after a decade of job rejections and disparaging comments they were holding him back and decided to undergo a corrective treatment.

Surgeons at the The Private Clinic of Harley Street, where Sam underwent the 'corrective tribal ear procedure', claim they have seen an enormous uplift in people seeking the treatment in recent years, as stretched lobes continue to fall out of fashion.

Before undergoing the treatment, Sam endured 'disapproving looks' from people in the street and says strangers would cross the road to avoid passing him by.

The rocker's career also suffered as a result of his over-sized lobes; from avoiding applying for jobs, to being asked awkward questions from recruiters, he struggled to land a 'normal' office job for several years.

'I wanted to do more with my life and felt like my ears have, and would, hold me back', said Sam.

'I've avoided applying for jobs in the past because mentally, I already felt defeated. I was also sick of the questions, with people constantly asking about my ears.

'I think my friends who have earlobe stretchers are not moving up as fast in the workplace, or not reaching their full potential, because of their ears. I believe in self-expression but realise now that it is not worth my future'.

In June, Sam finally decided to undergo earlobe repair surgery at The Private Clinic.

The corrective procedure, which takes 20-30 minutes, is performed under local anaesthetic, while the patient is still awake but under conscious sedation.

For patients like Sam, who have stretched their lobes beyond just a couple of centimetres, the lobes cannot spring back to their original shape with the help of a few simple stitches; instead, the excess flesh must be trimmed and the earlobe carefully reshaped by a surgeon.

The Bilateral Stretched earlobe repair starts at £1,890 and varies according to the degree of correction required, whether it is just the one ear or both that need the procedure, and the size of the patient's flesh tunnel.

Mr Adrian Richards, Consultant Plastic Surgeon at The Private Clinic, who performed Sam's procedure, says he sees over 100 people for this treatment each year - and the number is growing.

He says the treatment is perfect for patients who made decisions in their younger years, which they grew to regret, the opportunity to have those mistakes corrected.

'I frequently see patients who regret the decisions that they have made and ear lobe stretchers are perhaps one of the most common,' Mr Richards said.

'Before they come to see me, many people put off the process for years, believing that any corrective procedure would be painful and expensive.

'But, in reality, this is an issue that can often be corrected quickly and simply, without the need for a painful operation or lengthy downtime.

'I see a large number of men and women who are looking to progress careers in the army, navy or the emergency services, most of which may not accept candidates with excessively stretched ear lobes.

So for those individuals, this really can be a life-changing procedure.'

Sam added: 'Some of my friends are studying engineering and I now feel like that could be a career path for me too. The procedure has opened up a lot of new options and opportunities for me.'