What is an Earlobe?
An earlobe is a critical facial structure. Even though it has few bodily functions, it has important cultural value. Most of the cultures across the globe have the practice of ear piercing. This is either for ritual purposes or aesthetics. The earlobe is pierced to wear jewelry.
The earlobe comprises fat and skin. There is no thick cartilage presence. As such, it can be easily perforated. Several cultures encourage ear piercing. This is for wearing jewelry. Yet, earlobe piercing has several risks. The risk of earlobe rupture increases. Some tears heal in time. Yet, others may need medical attention. Earlobe repair & surgery is majorly for earring-induced damages to the earlobe. It can also be due to earlobe or earring tugging. Otoplasty surgery can be effective in mending this ruptured part. It can also restore the earlobe’s previous appearance.
Causes
There are several reasons for earlobe surgery. Major reasons are elongated holes, split earlobe, or pinned earlobe. These can be due to several factors:
- Wearing heavy earrings for a long period
- Gauges in the earlobe, increasing in time, weight, and size
- The earrings can catch between dresses and get pulled. This can be due to long earrings dangling over clothes.
- Child pulling the earrings
- Multiple piercings significantly closer to each other or closer to the earlobe bottom
- Sudden trauma
Earlobe Repair can be classified as
- Incomplete cleft: It is bilateral. It occurs with older women wearing heavy earrings. Wearing heavy jewelry for several years can result in an incomplete cleft.
- Full cleft: This is generally unilateral. It results from direct and local trauma. This can be sudden pulling or tearing of the earrings.
Earlobe repair & surgery is classified based on the type of earlobe:
Most otoplasty surgeries are operated on using a vasoconstrictor and local anesthesia. Some surgeries need a double procedure for correcting the defect. Surgeons utilize sutures for repairing ear splits. This surgery takes around one hour. Ear correction also involves skin lining. This is for fixing droopy earlobes.
Earlobe surgery can cause a few complications. These include hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation. It also includes suture dehiscence and keloids. Any pain is minimal and can be reduced with over-the-counter medication. It should be noted that earlobe repair surgery & otoplasty are a bit different. Otoplasty is surgery for ear correction.
