Torn ear lobes are difficult to repair. A torn ear lobe usually occurs after the pierced hole widens over time from the weight of earrings or plugs. Once the ear lobe is weakened, continuing to wear heavy earrings can result in a tear. Other types of tears or splits can also occur, such as earrings being accidentally ripped through the lobe. When your ear lobe is torn or split, it usually requires plastic surgery to repair the wound.
Candidates for Torn Earlobes Repair
You may be a candidate for a torn earlobe repair if you have a fully or partially torn earlobe. You overall health status is usually not a limiting factor since this procedure is performed under local anaesthesia without any potential risks of sedation or general anaesthesia.
Ear Lobe Repair Surgery
Some rare genetic defects and serious trauma can result in the entire ear or portions of it that are missing. Such a flaw is even more obvious than protruding and deformed ears since entire sections of the ear are seriously deformed or missing. People with serious ear defects like this desire a solution that can give them back what they lost. Their self-confidence is often diminished and the humiliation they suffer every day can be crippling. There’s now hope for these people. That’s because ear reconstruction through plastic surgery has a way to rebuild an ear.
- The major challenge in an ear reconstruction is to create a natural looking ear. In order to make one, suitable replacements for the ear’s special cartilage and skin must be found. The cartilage in the ear is thin and softer than other kinds of cartilage in the body, while the skin is especially soft, flexible, and hairless. Doctors must find sufficient quantities of replacement material elsewhere in the body to successfully rebuild an ear. Lastly, the shape of the final product must look like a real ear and replicate its complex 3-D shape as much as possible. To this effect, surgeons often take pictures and casts of the patient’s healthy ear and attempt to mirror it.
- The skin usually comes from the legs or the arm, while the cartilage preferred comes from the ribs. The surgeon must gauge the right quantities of both, excise them, and place the over the target ear area. The skin must be pulled back with great care in order to make room for the donor material.
- The entire procedure takes many hours and several different stages before completion. The healing process is also incredibly long and can be painful. Full effects of the surgery may not be seen until years afterwards, though a good indication of the relative success of the operation can be seen after half a year.
Reconstructive earlobe surgery is a serious undertaking and is only for those with massive ear trauma or genetic defects. Though the final result is only an approximation of a healthy ear, it can give the patient a level of confidence and self-esteem that they have never experienced. Talk to a certified Maxillofacial Surgeon today to learn more about an ear lobe reconstruction surgery.
After the Procedure
Patients usually tolerate this procedure without significant discomfort. After surgery most patients do not need any pain medication. A couple of doses of a painkiller may be beneficial for those who feel slight ache at the repair site. The discomfort usually disappears within twenty four hours. A thin layer of antibiotic ointment is placed over the repair area. You may wash your hair. Avoid using blow dryer until sensation return to prevent accidental burning of your earlobes. The sutures usually get removed in the office in five to seven days.
Ear Surgery Costs
You should talk to a surgeon to get more details on the expected surgical fees and facility fees. Most external ear surgery is easy to complete but still among the most costly of procedures ranking behind the various body lifts that people can do. Analyze your wants and expectations with your surgeon to see if ear surgery is the right choice for you.
