A 31-year-old Chinese woman who had recently undergone a rhinoplasty procedure at a hospital in Chengdu, was shocked to see that a chunk of her ear cartilage had been removed, allegedly without her consent.

The woman, identified only as Ms. Zhao, had her nose surgery at the Angel Wing Hospital in Chengdu on September 1st. This was her second such procedure in the last five years, but the first one in which part of her ear disappeared… Zhao told Chinese media that the operation went fine, she felt good, but four days later she looked in the mirror and noticed something strange about her right ear. The tragus, that small, pointy cartilage on the inside of the inner side of the ear, had obviously been surgically removed, only no one had informed her about it.

Photos: The Paper

The disgruntled patient confronted hospital staff about her discovery, only to be told that it was normal procedure, and that she had given her consent by signing an agreement which mentioned that “cartilage for rhinoplasty” would be used.

Zhao told Chinese news outlet The Paper that she consulted with several plastic surgery expert, who all confirmed that cartilage from behind the ear is commonly used for the rhinoplasty procedures, as it doesn’t impact the patient’s look. However, a spokesperson from the Angel Wing Hospital said that cartilage from the back of the auricle can cause ear atrophy.

Photos: The Paper

The 31-year-old has reportedly demanded a full refund, financial compensation as well as a new operation to fix her year, complaining that she is embarrassed about the look of her ear, and that she isn’t even able to use ear buds, because the right one keeps falling out.

Zhao’s conflict with the Chengdu hospital has resulted in heated arguments which the police had to intervene in. For now, the matter remains unresolved.