Ear Lobe Scars & Repairs

The earlobes get plenty of attention these days with piercings and gauge-style stretching. Unfortunately, those fashion statements can also lead to damage to the earlobes that may require surgical correction to restore their appearance. The good news is that surgical earlobe repair is a relatively straightforward, minimally invasive procedure that offers excellent results with minimal discomfort, and often no downtime after surgery.

Dr Teston offers earlobe repair for tears, stretching, and scarring that sometimes occurs as a result of piercing and gauging. In addition, she performs other types of ear surgery, known as otoplasty, to correct deformities and concerns involving the ears. With her extensive experience in this area, you can be confident in the level of care and the results you will receive from Dr Teston and her staff.

Before Earlobe Surgery

There may be a number of reasons why you might need earlobe repair surgery:

• Piercings have led to tearing or severe stretching of the hole, prohibiting you from wearing earrings.
• Stretching using a gauge fit your lifestyle at one time, but your career or changes in style now require you to reverse the stretching.
• Disfiguring scarring (known as keloid scarring) has formed as a result of piercing or gauge-style stretching, impacting your appearance and your ability to wear earrings.

Dr Teston will examine your earlobes to determine whether surgical repair will provide you with the best possible outcome.

During Earlobe Surgery

Earlobe surgery is performed as a day surgery, using local anaesthesia. Once the lobe is numbed, Dr Teston will cut away the edges of the tear or hole to create clean edges that she can neatly stitch together. Joining will be done using tiny sutures to minimise visible scarring after surgery.

If Dr Teston is removing keloid scarring, she will typically remove the scar as well as a small flap of skin. The edges will then be carefully sutured closed to avoid noticeable incision scarring and to cover the defect. Because keloid scars have a high recurrence rate, steroid injections may be administered after surgery to prevent their regrowth. If the scar does begin to return, the earlier it is treated, the better results will be, and the risk of another recurrence will be lower.

After Earlobe Surgery

Patients are able to return home the same day as their earlobe repair. Pain after surgery is usually minimal and can be managed effectively with over-the-counter pain medication. Most patients can return to their regular activities the same day or the day after their procedure. Healing will be completed within a few weeks, leaving little evidence of the repair. If patients prefer, they can usually have the ear pierced again after it heals, typically about six weeks after their initial procedure.

Potential Risks and Complications

All surgery carries some degree of risk. Some of the possible complications of ear lobe surgery include:

• Infection – that may require treatment with antibiotics or further surgery in some cases
• Allergic reaction to sutures, dressings or antiseptic solutions
• Formation of a large blood clot (haematoma) beneath an incision site, which may require drainage
• Chest infection, which may develop after general anaesthesia
• Sore throat caused by the breathing tube used during general anaesthesia
• Pain, bruising and swelling around the operated site(s)
• Keloids and hypertrophic scars – raised, thickened scars that may form over the healed incisions. These may be itchy, annoying and unsightly but are not a threat to health
• Slow healing, often related to smoking or diabetes
• Short-term nausea following general anaesthesia, and other risks related to anaesthesia
• Asymmetrical ears – further surgery may be necessary to correct symmetry problems or irregularities in the cartilage
• Re-protrusion of one or both ears – may occur and require further surgery
• Nausea and loss of balance related to fluid accumulation within the inner ear
• Temporary or permanent loss of sensation in the skin around the surgical site and the surface of the ear
• Small areas of skin overlying the cartilage of the ear may die, causing an ulcer that may take several weeks to heal

This is not a complete list. For example, your medical history or lifestyle may put you at increased risk of certain complications. Speak to your medical practitioner for more information.

Surgical repair of the earlobe is a minimally invasive way to reverse the damage, restore the appearance of the earlobe, and allow for the use of earrings once again. To learn more about earlobe repair, contact Dr Teston’s office today on (02) 9708 3511.

*The information about Ear Lobe scars and repairs was reviewed by Dr Leana Teston. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us using our contact form below.