Ear Lobe Reconstruction

Usually small children pull at the ear lobes of the mother or themselves resulting in a tear. Or there may have been an accident in which the ear lobe gets torn or broken. The elongated or broken ear lobe will heal naturally but will leave behind an ugly unproportionate scar. In which case an ear lobe reconstruction is the answer to solve this problem. Ear lobe reconstruction can repair the damage and get the lobe back into shape. An ill shaped ear lobe looks physically bad and may cause psychological and cosmetic problems.

There are some ear piercers who may offer to stitch back the torn ear lobes but it is best if a plastic surgeon does it. If the surgical procedure is properly done, only a linear scar will result which can reduce over a few months or a CO2 laser resurfacing can be done to improve and eliminate it. If it doesn’t give a proper appearance, it can be reconstructed again. After it heals the ear lobe can be repierced to allow the owner to wear earrings.

If the ear lobe has been torn completely the surgeon will wait for it to heal. If the tear does not reach the bottom of the lobe, then it can be reconstructed immediately. Most of the plastic surgeries involving the ear lobe involve removing the skin lining the tear and reducing the size of the tear. Special cuts may be made to allow it to heal faster and reshape the lobe without scarring.  This procedure is done under local anesthesia and painkillers are prescribed to stop the pain. There is no dressing involved and only some antibiotic ointment is used. The wound can be cleaned with soap and water daily and the antibiotic ointment applied. It may take a week or so for the wound to heal, and the sutures are removed. 

A new ear piercing can be done after the lobe is recovered and can stand the piercing. Earrings can then be worn as earlier once the lobe regains strength.