Earlobe repair may be performed in our office in Arlington or Stafford. Generally, the need for earlobe repair stems from ear piercing or gauging, more often than a direct injury. In many cases, the prolonged weight of heavy earrings pulling against the skin leads to stretching. Sometimes, stretching may occur from a pull on an earring. In either instance, earlobe repair can be performed to restore a natural appearance
Body piercing is nothing new. Among the various cultures in existence, body piercing has been going on for thousands of years. Piercing is often part of self-beautification for both men and women. The act of piercing the skin is just the beginning. Were skin merely pierced, the hole would close very quickly. The insertion of an object such as an earring keeps the hole open. This allows skin from the front and back of the earlobe to grow inward, through the open hole, forming a tube of intact skin. When intact skin touches intact skin, there is no healing response. Raw skin to raw skin, on the other hand, is seen as a wound and is quickly healed.
Should the time come when a piercing is no longer wanted, the entirety of the lined tube must be removed, otherwise, oil cysts may have the opportunity to develop within the tunnel. Standard earlobe tunnels can be closed in a simple procedure under local anesthesia. Sutures are placed after the removal of the tunnel and they remain in place for about a week.
Split earlobes are a different problem from an unwanted piercing. The repair of a split earlobe is done in much the same manner, but takes into consideration the curvature of the split, as well, in order to achieve the most attractive repair.
The newest trend in piercings has been earlobe stretching with gauges. A gradual process, the stretching of earlobes with gauges can lead to excessive thinning of the earlobe tissues and the subsequent distortion of the earlobe as a whole. The complexity of the repair process will depend on the severity of thinning and distortion.
For more information about earlobe repair, contact Washington Dermatology Consultants for a private consultation.
