Piercing an earlobe puts it at risk to tear. The weight of large/heavy earrings can contribute to the stretching of the earlobe opening over time. Earrings that dangle can be caught in clothing and may result in a partially or completely torn earlobe. Torn or elongated earlobes can be repaired with a simple surgery to not only fix the earlobe, but also to strengthen it.
Earlobe repair surgery takes approximately one hour to complete and is performed under local anesthesia. During the procedure, healed skin on the inside of the ear is cut away and the area is closed. Sutures are used to close the incision. During the healing process the sutures dissolve on their own so there is no need for an additional office visit for suture removal. If the ear is re-pierced after the lobe heals completely, new piercings should be placed to the side or above the former location to avoid any scar tissue that might develop
