Earrings are one of the most common and popular accessories worn by women. If you’ve developed a split earlobe that prevents you from wearing your favorite earrings, we can help. At JUVA Skin & Laser Center, we perform split earlobe repair procedures to reduce the size of earlobes that have been stretched, torn or split.
There are two different types of issues that an earlobe repair procedure can address:
- Split earlobe – A partial tear in the earlobe develops in a piercing and extends downward, creating a hole that is too large to hold earrings in place
- Torn earlobe – The earlobe is torn all the way through to the bottom of the ear
What Causes a Split Earlobe?
There are several reasons why you may develop a split or torn earlobe. Some of the most common causes include:
- Trauma to the ear, which often occurs when an earring is pulled through the piercing hole by a young child
- Taking clothing on and off by pulling it over the head, which can pull and stretch the piercing hole
- Wearing heavy earrings on a regular basis
- Wearing clip-on earrings too tightly, which causes the blood flow in the earlobe to become restricted results in necrosis (death) of the earlobe tissue
- Allergic reactions to the metal in the earring post
Your Split Earlobe Repair Procedure
Your split earlobe repair procedure is performed in our office on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia. Dr. Katz will recommend the appropriate technique based on the specific nature of your torn or split earlobe. After repairing the earlobe damage, sutures will be used to stitch the area back together.
Recovery after earlobe repair is relatively minor. You’ll need to cover your earlobe with gauze to protect the area for the first day. It’s crucial that you keep your repaired earlobe clean while it heals. Applying antibiotic ointment every day will help prevent infection.
Normal activities can be resumed right away, and you should be able to shower after one day. However, you won’t be able to submerge your ears in water while the sutures are in place, so you’ll need to stay out of swimming pools for about a week. Avoid sleeping on your ears or applying pressure to the repaired earlobe until your sutures are removed. This typically occurs after approximately five days.
We recommend that you wait approximately three months before re-piercing your ears.
Contact our NYC Cosmetic Dermatologists
Please contact JUVA Skin & Laser Center using the form on this page to schedule an earlobe repair consultation. Call 212-688-5882 for an appointment at our Manhattan office or 718-729-8512 for an appointment at our Woodside office. We serve patients in NYC and nationwide.
