Earlobe surgery is usually performed either to repair an earlobe split when an earring tears out, or to correct an overly-stretched earlobe due to heavy earrings or tribal piercings (flesh tunnels). Piercings or tears in other parts of the ear, other than the lobe, can also be closed using the same techniques
Earlobe repair is a relatively simple local anaesthetic procedure that takes about an hour, and if you give advance notice it can be performed straight away when you’re seen in clinic. You can choose whether you want to get rid of the piercing completely, or whether you want a new normal sized piercing recreating in the same position.
Earlobe repair is suitable if:
- Your earlobe is split due to accidental tearing when wearing earrings.
- Your earlobe is over-stretched due to heavy earrings.
- You stretched your earlobes with a tribal ear piercing, or flesh tunnel, but now want to restore the normal shape of the earlobe. In earlobes stretched more than 8mm the hole is unlikely to fully contract back down on its own without surgical correction.
- You feel that your stretched/split earlobes are affecting your appearance, social life or career opportunities
You want rid of the piercing completely, or you want to recreate a “normal” piercing in the same position
Piercings at other sites on the ear can also be closed.
Benefits:
- Restore the normal appearance of your earlobe
- Recreate a normal piercing
- Increased confidence in your appearance
- Earlobe repair surgery is performed under local anaesthetic and typically takes just 20-30 minutes per earlobe.
- Using plastic surgery reconstructive techniques, which may involve rotation or transposition flaps, the skin and tissue of the earlobe is reformed into a natural shape with very fine internal and external stitches.
- If you wish, the piercing can be recreated, and a smooth polypropylene stitch can be placed and left in the desired position for two weeks while the ear heals up. This technique allows you to wear earrings just two weeks after the procedure, rather than waiting up to six months after the procedure as is normally recommended.
- You’ll regain a natural shape to the earlobe, similar to the original shape of the lobe before you had a piercing.
- There will be small zig-zag scars on the front and back of the earlobe. These scars start off red, but fade over 6-12 months to become a pale skin colour.
- The scars contract and soften with time, so it’s about 6 months before you can see the final result.
- Ears can be normally be re-pierced at the original site after 6 months, unless you’ve asked for the piercing to be surgically recreated.
