So, you’re running through the woods trying to get away from the psycho wielding the chainsaw behind you. And heading into this little situation, you didn’t consider you’d be running through said woods and you donned some pretty big hoop earrings. Ouch. One of the hoops just caught on a tree branch and ripped right through your earlobe.
What to do?
OK, first give the psycho a Kung Fu lesson and call on a nearby grizzly bear to take care of him. Then come to Deschutes to have Dr. Carter repair that torn earlobe. Dr. Carter can correct, repair, or reshape earlobes that have been split, stretched, or are simply oversized.
What is done to fix a torn earlobe?
As earrings have gotten more daring, the cases of torn earlobes have increased. It’s not difficult to snag some of today’s big hoops on pretty much anything from clothing to a branch of a bush. Not only does your ear now have a big tear in it, you can’t exactly wear earrings with it this way in the future.
Dr. Carter can fix your torn lobe relatively easily. Done under local anesthesia, she first cuts away the skin that has healed on either side of the tear. Once that is done, she then sutures those now smooth incisions back together to close the split.
What is a stretched earlobe and how is it repaired?
Sometimes people get a little too caught up in the latest show about tribes in New Guinea on Nat Geo, and before you know it they are sporting giant disks in their earlobes. This earlobe stretching, also known as gauging, has become more popular in the U.S., but denizens of this fashion statement may want to think twice about doing it. After all, if the skin is stretched for a long enough period of time, the hole created by the large-gauge earring will not close back up.
Dr. Carter uses a similar method when repairing a stretched earlobe as a torn one. Depending on the edges of the opening, she may make an incision to create a smooth surface to suture closed, or she may simply take the two sides and bring them back together.
Healing
Your sutures will usually come out in five days. Pain is minimal and can be handled with over-the-counter pain medication. If you have your ears pierced once again, they must not be pierced on the scar or just above it, as this tissue is weaker and will tear again more easily.
Need your earlobe fixed? Call us at [primary_phone] and make an appointment with Dr. Carter.
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