Earrings are a fun fashion accessory, but they can sometimes cause lasting damage to your earlobes. Whether you have a sagging lobe from wearing earrings or an earring caused your earlobe to tear, the good news is that Dr. David Magilke, aka the Portland Face Doctor, has the skills to aesthetically improve the appearance of your earlobes.
Reasons Patients Seek Earlobe Repair
Most of Dr. Magilke’s earlobe repair patients want surgery to address a problem created by earrings:
- To shrink the size of earlobe skin that has been stretched by heavy or oversized earrings
- To fix a tear or split in your lobe created by an accident with an earring
- To eliminate a hole left from a gauge piercing that will not close completely
- To remove unsightly scar tissue generated from a piercing
However, a smaller number of patients can attribute their larger earlobes to genetics. If the larger size of your ear lobes is a source of insecurity for you, the same procedure can often be used to help the lobes look in better proportion to the rest of the ears and face.
Earlobe Repair Procedure Details
Earlobe repair is a straightforward, outpatient procedure that Dr. Magilke typically performs in about half an hour per ear. Although it is technically a surgery, it is not a particularly invasive one, which should help put patients’ minds at ease.
First Dr. Magilke will numb your ear with localized anesthesia so that you will not feel significant pain during the surgery. Then he will carefully remove some of the tissue from the earlobe to reduce its size before suturing the lobe back together to recreate a pristine, normal-looking ear.
Earlobe Surgery Recovery
Most patients can expect only minimal discomfort after surgery. So long as your ears are not in harm’s way, you can resume most normal activities in short order. If sutures are used, they will typically be removed about one week after surgery.
Once your earlobe has fully healed — usually about two months later — you can treat it normally again, including having it re-pierced. However, Dr. Magilke does advise you to pierce in a slightly different location since your untouched skin will be stronger than your scarred skin. Putting a new piercing in the same exact spot will increase the risk of an earring (re)tearing the lobe.
Schedule an Earlobe Surgery Consultation
It is unfortunate when earrings, which are meant to enhance your attractiveness, wind up detracting from your overall appearance. Rather than giving up your earrings or constantly covering your ears with your hair, you may consider it worthwhile to undergo earlobe repair to essentially reset your lobes. During a consultation, Dr. Magilke will examine your lobe(s) to confirm whether earlobe repair can help achieve the results you are looking for. Although most earlobes can be improved with this surgery, some ripped lobes may be more difficult to correct with this procedure. To discuss earlobe repair with Dr. Magilke directly, contact the Portland Face Doctor at (503) 297-6511.
