Pierced ears are certainly popular for men and women alike. But there can be a downside.
Consider:
• You decided to get ear gauges…you joined a band…or you noticed how cool ear gauges looked on the barista at your local coffee shop. Then reality set in. You couldn’t get the job you wanted, you were getting more negative attention than positive – and you woke up one day wanting nomal-looking ears again.
• You are holding your little one on your lap when she grabs at your newest pair of dangling ear jewelry and before you can react, the earring has been ripped out of your ear. Ouch!
• You’ve worn large, heavy earrings for many years which have stretched the shape of your earlobes making them unsightly and large.
Ear gauges came into fashion in the late 90’s and are not simple piercings. They create holes that can be large and disfiguring when removed. The holes can shrink back if they are under a half inch in diameter but larger ones need plastic surgery.
Earlobe tears are very common and may be complete or partial. A split in the earlobe is a fairly simple, short surgical procedure which involves removing the skin between the tears in the earlobe and repairing it with tiny sutures.
Earlobe reconstruction restores lobes that have become stretched through many years of wearing heavy earrings.
• Plastic surgeons have the challenge of repairing earlobes when gauges are removed or when the lobes have been torn or stretched – their goal is to provide the patient with normal-looking lobes.
• At Laser and Dermatologic Surgery Center we specialize in repairing torn or disfigured earlobes and those that have had gauges removed. The surgery is usually done in under an hour in our offices under local anesthesia and there is no down time.
• If you want to re-pierce your ears, we recommend you wait at least six weeks following surgery.
Considering earlobe reconstruction or repair? Call us for a consultation. Our expert surgeons will describe the surgery to you and what to expect as you heal.
