Expanded Ear Lobes & Split Ear Lobes
Professor Malata offers surgical treatment of the split ear lobe or the expanded ear lobe or indeed ear gauging or plugging. This is done under local anaesthetic but you may elect to have a general anaesthetic should you wish to.
Split ear lobes commonly result from accidental forceful pulling on an ear ring or the wearing of heavy ear rings. Heavy ear rings may also cause an expanded ear lobe before the final split occurs.
The practice of inserting increasingly large-bore piercings through the earlobe is known as ‘‘ear gauging’’ or ‘‘plugging”. ’By a process of tissue expansion, this sequentially increases the diameter of the lumen (hole) and stretches the earlobe. Ear gauging, a traditional tribal practice worldwide, recently has become fashionable in the Western world, particularly among teenagers. Career choices, parental pressure, and increasing age have led to individuals regretting their lobe expansion and seeking to have their ears restored to normal. This presents a difficult surgical problem, and anecdotally, some individuals have been turned away by other plastic surgeons. Professor Malata has pioneered a simple local flap technique that has been successful in achieving uneventful healing with acceptable cosmetic results
After ear surgery for any of the above problems Professor Malata will prescribe for you an antibiotic ointment to apply or smear on the suture lines. It is important that the incisions are kept dry for the 1st 24 hours after surgery. The stitches are normally left in place for about 10-14 days.
As in any cosmetic surgery, there are benefits, risks and the final results are not guaranteed.
For risks please see the section on excision of skin lesions.
