Earlobe Repair
The earlobes are a common site to display jewelry for both men and women alike. As a result, this area often becomes stretched, torn, or deformed from the weight of jewelry, ear gauging, or trauma. By reestablishing the contour and symmetry of the ear lobule, Oklahoma City facial plastic surgeon Scott Shadfar, MD can help restore a natural appearance and—if desired—reconstruct the ear lobe to allow a patient to re-pierce their ear.
“Dr. Shadfar and his team are absolutely amazing! They are very kind, caring and professional. Due to my very first earlobe piercings being placed too low I ended up with ripped earlobes. After a few years I finally decided to have my earlobes repaired. I'm so glad I chose Dr. Shadfar and his team. They did great work and I couldn't be more happy with my results! My only regret? That I didn't get the procedure done sooner.”
Earlobe Repair Technique
Earlobe repair is performed under local anesthesia and is an outpatient procedure. Incisions are needed to remove any scar tissue from previous piercings, plugs, or gauges. There is an array of techniques that may be employed to repair your earlobe and the specific approach utilized during your surgery may include:
- Keloid scar repair—A technique meant to address the bumpy red scars that can form around cartilage piercings
- Split earlobe repair—Utilized when the earlobe is stretched or torn from the weight of heavy or large earrings
- Stretched earlobe repair—Designed to restore the proportions and symmetry of your natural earlobe following stretching of the tissue (often caused by ear gauging)
- Earlobe reduction—Can refine the dimensions of the lobules for patients who were born with prominent earlobes that are disproportionate to the size of the rest of the ear
Dr. Shadfar will ensure you are informed of the details of your procedure prior to operation. In general, excess scarring in the earlobes will be removed while the remaining tissue is locally recontoured to achieve a more symmetrical appearance that aligns with your surgical goals. Following the procedure, earlobe incisions are sutured closed and the area is taped. Patients often return to work almost immediately after this type of surgery.
Recovery After Earlobe Repair
After the procedure, there is some expected swelling of the earlobe, but little to no pain is associated with the reconstruction. After one week, the sutures are removed. The earlobes should continue to heal over the course of several weeks. If desired, the ears can be pierced six weeks following the procedure, just outside of the reconstruction line. Earlobe surgery patients may consider avoiding large or heavy earrings following the procedure to ensure the results of their reparation remain uncompromised
