Elf ears gaining in popularity

NEW YORK, April 9 (UPI) -- A body modification artist in Phoenix says he can perform cosmetic surgery on ears to give them a pointy, Dr. Spock-like appearance.

It will cost you $600 for the non-reversible surgery, which if performed by Phoenix artist Steve Haworth must be done with no anesthesia because he is not licensed to practice medicine, the New York Daily News reported.

"There's a lot of people out there who have an inner vision of themselves and they want to express that to the world around them," Haworth told ABC News. "I'm very happy to be an artist that can provide that kind of work."

The procedure involves cutting open the tips of the ear and sculpting the cartilage into elf points. Besides being painful, the procedure can cause other problems.

Some doctors say cartilage sculpting can cause ear deformities and dangerous infections that can destroy ears within a few days.

The concerns weren't enough to keep Jordan Houtz from having the procedure. She said she had been thinking about having it done for 18 months.

"It just fits my personality," Houtz said.