Earlobe Repair

I was admiring earrings in a jewelry store the other day while shopping for my Mom’s Mother’s Day present. The most beautiful earrings seem to be for pierced ears. What a shame many women are limited to clip-on earrings because of a torn earlobe or a stretched piercing. Torn earlobes can occur from trauma or wearing heavy earrings for an extended period of time. Earlobes can be completely torn or the area of the piercing can just be widened.

Cosmetic surgery to repair a torn earlobe is a frequent occurrence. Piercing an earlobe puts it at risk to tear. The size, style and weight of an earring can contribute to the stretching of the earlobe opening. Large earrings that dangle are caught on clothing or grasped by a child. The result may be a partially or completely torn earlobe. Repair of a torn earlobe is easily performed in our office using a local anesthetic. Depending on the severity of the tear, sometimes the piercing can be left in place or can be redone after healing.

The procedure consists of "freshening" the edges of the split and placement of sutures to complete the repair of the earlobe. The procedure takes less than one hour. There is minimal discomfort and no downtime.