Earlobe repair or split earlobe surgery is a quick and simple minor surgical procedure to correct split, ripped or torn earlobes and/or stretched earlobes. It is carried out under local anaesthetic and is a short procedure.

The earlobe is the lower, fleshy part of the ear that is sometimes pierced. The area consists of a delicate piece of skin that is made up of fat and skin. This area can be split or ripped due to heavy or over-stretched earrings.

Split earlobes are usually caused by trauma, which may occur if earrings are pulled through the piercing hole. Additionally, wearing earrings — especially heavy earrings — can lengthen the piercing hole and eventually pull through over time. People with thin earlobes are predisposed to this occurring.

If you’re interested in having your split earlobe, widened piercing hole or stretched ear piercings reversed or repaired, arrange a consultation at The Private Clinic with our expert Consultant Cosmetic Surgeons who have extensive experience in ear correction surgery. It is a quick simple procedure with excellent results and no downtime.

The Consultation

The first stage of your earlobe repair journey will be a consultation with one of our expert surgeons.
At your consultation, your surgeon will go through the earlobe repair procedure in detail and examine the area.

Your surgeon will then discuss:

• Your medical history
• Your expectations from surgery
• Risks and Complications
• Aftercare

Following your consultation, you will be introduced to your dedicated patient coordinator who will be your point of contact should you wish to proceed with earlobe repair surgery.

Pre-Operative Advice

In the interests of patient safety all our patients are assessed against our patient selection criteria. Following your consultation and review of your past medical history, the physician or preoperative nurse will choose any pre-operative tests considered to be appropriate, most of which are routine blood tests.

The Earlobe Repair procedure

The technique used for your Earlobe repair will depend on the state of your lobes and your desired results. It’s a fairly straightforward procedure that can be done in any of our in-house theatres under local anaesthetic. The procedure takes 20-40 minutes to perform.

• The split area of the earlobe is marked out to be removed as a wedge.
• Local anaesthetic is injected to numb the area and the earlobe will usually stay numb for around 3 to 4 hours following the procedure.
• The split section of the lobe is carefully cut out.
• The wound is then cauterised to stop any bleeding.
• The two sides of the earlobe are then brought together and secured with absorbable stitches.
• A dressing is applied to the wound and will stay for around a week.

A rotational flap earlobe repair is a technique which preserves the existing ear-piercing hole. This allows patients to be able to safely wear earrings again just two weeks after their procedure instead of having to wait 6 months.

Earlobe Reduction

If your lobes are sagging, then an earlobe reduction will be the best way to reshape them and make them more proportionate, whereas if they’ve been torn then they can be stitched up and amended as well.

Tribal Earlobe Reconstruction

For patients with stretched lobes, there are a couple of options. A hole with a small diameter could require only a few stitches. If you’ve stretched your lobes beyond 1.5cm in diameter, they won’t be able to spring back to their original shape and may require the excess flesh to be trimmed before they can be reshaped.