At our Richmond VA facial plastic surgery office, we offer surgery to repair a gauged earlobe or an earlobe damaged from trauma or gauges.   Double board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Matthew Bridges of Commonwealth Facial Plastic Surgery uses his experience to skillfully repair a damaged earlobe.  Dr. Bridges frequently repairs stretched (either from heavy earring wear or from gauges) or torn earlobes in the office. If you have stretched earlobes from heavy earrings or gauges, or a torn earlobe, contact our Richmond, VA plastic surgery office to schedule your consultation with Dr. Bridges today. 

Earlobe repair surgery can often be performed in our plastic surgery office using local anesthesia, but it can be done in the operating room if needed.  Torn earlobes are relative simple to repair and are nearly always done under local anesthesia.  Gauged earlobes can be very complex to repair, but can still usually be done under local anesthesia.  Because large gauges can distort the tissue significantly, the repair of gauged earlobes requires special expertise.  Dr. Bridges has extensive experience in this procedure and produces amazing results.  Click here to see an example. 

After earlobe repair surgery, patients can expect minor discomfort, depending on how complex the repair was. Minor swelling is common and occasionally some bruising will result.  Tylenol or Motrin are effective to help relieve these temporary post-surgery discomforts. Earlobes can usually be re-pierced in about 8-10 weeks following the procedure.  Dr. Bridges will perform the re-piercing procedure in the office, which is complimentary. 

Gauged earlobes can certainly be repaired, with the complexity proportional to the size of the hole.  The larger the gauge, the more stretched the tissue around the hole becomes.  Sometimes this tissue becomes too thin to be able to salvage and therefore must be surgically removed.  Other tissue of the earlobe can be used to recreate the normal shape and contour of the new earlobe.  

Dr. Bridges can re-pierce your earlobes following the healing process.  This is usually done 8-10 weeks after the procedure.  Great care is taken to make sure the new piercing is as symmetric as possible to the other side. 

Dr. Bridges will go over the post-op recovery with each patient. It is advised to wait 24 hours to shower and wash your hair. In addition, patients will need to be mindful to not scratch, touch, or disrupt the repaired lobe when putting on clothing or brushing your hair. It is advised to avoid sleeping  on the surgical site for about 1 week after the procedure.  Stitches are usually removed 7-10 days after surgery.

Earlobe repair surgery is performed using local anesthesia, which means your earlobe will be numb when the process takes place. During treatment, we will make every effort to ensure you are comfortable.

If you have a torn earlobe or have stretched earlobes from heavy earrings or gauges, we invite you to call our greater Richmond, VA area office in Midlothian to schedule a consultation with double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Matthew Bridges, MD, FACS.