At Advanced Liposuction Centers, we see many clients at this time of year in this very situation. Bethel Park plastic surgeons want you to know help is available. More times than we can count, we have heard the following scenarios, “I was pulling my sweater off over my head and felt this terrible pain as it caught on my earring and ripped through my earlobe,” or “as I was unwrapping my infinity scarf, my earring got stuck in it and caused a tear to the lobe.” Of course, there are other possible reasons for wanting to improve the appearance of your earlobe: long years of wearing heavy earrings have stretched out the holes or, gauging, which seemed so trendy a few year ago, has left you with less-than-glamorous gaping holes in your ears and skin that swing when you walk!

A Quick Fix

Regardless of the reason your earlobe is misshapen, our expert plastic surgeons can repair and reshape your earlobe in a pleasing fashion. In a procedure that takes under 30 minutes, the doctor will carefully remove some skin and then stitch the skin to give the best shape and contour for your facial features. Earlobe reshaping is done under local anesthesia in the comfort of our state of the art, in-office surgical suite. Following the surgery, your ear may feel warm and swollen for a short while and there may be some bruising up to one week after the procedure. Scarring is minimal and in approximately 6-8 weeks the ear lobe can be re-pierced if you so desire. Patients are able to resume their normal daily routines the day after surgery. You should, however, avoid working out or heavy physical activity such as lifting, bending over or straining for the first week. This will help decrease excessive swelling and shorten the healing time.

How To Prevent Ear Injuries?

Heavy Earrings Should Only Be Worn For Brief Periods Of Time

Keep your thick earrings for special occasions only to decrease the weight you place on your earlobes. If you do decide to wear heavy earrings, be sure to remove them as soon as the event is over.

Lightweight Or Earrings Are Best Choice To Use

Heavy earrings will stretch out your ear holes, whilst lightweight earrings will not. Keep your ear holes tiny and supported by wearing lightweight earrings.

Before going to bed, take off your earrings

Most individuals have no issue sleeping with their earrings on, yet a single snag can result in a damaged ear hole. Remove your earrings before going to bed (after they’ve healed) to avoid any overnight mishaps.

Do not wear earrings that are prone to catching.

An unintentional tear is more likely to occur when certain jewelry and outfit combinations are worn together. When wearing earrings, always take them off gently, and stay away from wearing lengthy earrings with knit or lace fabrics.

How to Handle Earlobe Tears

When a child or animal grabs an earring and pulls on it, sudden earlobe tears frequently result. Rarely, hanging earrings that become tangled in hair or clothing can cause damaged earlobes. Whatever causes your earlobe to tear, you must act swiftly to cure the wound:

Since the earlobes have weaker circulation than other extremities like the hands and feet, they naturally receive very little blood flow and must be quickly restored to prevent long-term tissue damage.

As soon as you are hurt, cover the wound with gauze and gently press down to stop the bleeding. (If you don’t have any gauze on hand, try controlling the bleeding with a fresh washcloth.) Avoid applying ice directly to the wound as this will reduce blood flow and perhaps slow healing. You may have more pain as a result of the excessive cold. To relieve inflammation, apply a cool compress rather than collecting some ice cubes.

When you’ve finished dressing the wound, go to the closest emergency room to have the tear stitched up. Don’t rely on nature to look after it.

Whenever to visit a doctor

A swollen earlobe can frequently be treated quickly and efficiently at home. A person should contact a doctor for an accurate diagnosis if self-care measures fail to relieve swelling or other symptoms.

If swelling or other symptoms worsen, a person could require medical care, such as antibiotics. To prevent consequences, infections should be treated as soon as feasible.

People should seek emergency medical care if they have swelling on their earlobes in addition to signs of a severe allergic reaction to a sting, such as hives and trouble breathing.

If you have been suffering with a deformed or visually unappealing earlobe, wait no longer. We offer free consultations at our many western PA offices where our plastic surgeons will evaluate your earlobe and help you define your personal appearance goals. To learn more, contact us by calling: 724-683-7581.