Lobuloplasty (Earlobe Repair)

The average cost varies and is determined on a patient-by-patient basis. Your cost may be higher or lower depending on your personal anatomy and desired changes as the procedure is customizable according to your wishes and needs.  We can discuss your cost at the time of the consultation with Dr. Burroughs.  Prior to the appointment, you can learn about our financing options through CareCredit® and Alphaeon®.

Dr. Burroughs’ earliest experiences with lobuloplasty was for patients getting facelift surgery. A tell-tale sign of a facelift is when the ear lobe is fused to the cheek skin. Repairing these defects and avoiding them during his training on facelift surgery is where he learned techniques to improve their appearance. Essentially, if you have concerns with a piercing that is too elongated to allow earrings or if it has become elongated from heavy earrings, then you’re a suitable candidate. Many of his cases are patients that had gauges when they were younger, but as some of these patients enter different phases of their professional lives, they no longer wish to have gauges yet they have prominent large holes in their ear lobes that need surgery to improve and restore a natural appearance.

Most patients have this performed in the office setting and not sedation is required. The procedure begins with the administration of local anesthesia to numb the earlobe area, ensuring your comfort during the surgery. Then, Dr. Burroughs carefully cleans the earlobe before making incisions in the necessary areas. If the earlobe is torn, he removes any damaged edges and aligns the healthy tissue for optimal healing. In cases of elongated or stretched earlobes, excess tissue is trimmed to reshape and reduce the size of the earlobe. The incisions are then closed using dissolvable and some removable sutures, ensuring a natural and aesthetically pleasing result. Most patients just drive themselves home. The procedure is generally between 30-90 minutes depending upon the complexity and if both sides are being performed.

After undergoing lobuloplasty, the recovery process is typically straightforward. Immediately following the procedure, you may experience some mild discomfort, swelling, and bruising around the earlobe area. The dissolvable sutures used during the surgery will gradually dissolve on their own, eliminating the need for suture removal. Still, we’ll see you for a follow-up appointment to monitor your progress. Most individuals can resume normal activities within a few days, but we recommend avoiding strenuous activities, heavy lifting, or contact sports for a few weeks to minimize the risk of complications. The incisions made during the procedure typically heal well, resulting in minimal scarring.

Yes, most patients can wear earrings like normal after the earlobe repair surgery. However, it’s important to wait until the earlobes are fully healed. This can take anywhere between a couple of weeks to a few months, depending on the patient and the extent of surgery performed. When you begin wearing earrings again, it’s important to be mindful of the weight and size of the earrings you wear. We recommend starting with lightweight earrings and gradually increase the size and weight as your earlobes continue to heal. Heavy earrings can potentially strain the tissue and increase the risk of complications or stretching of the repaired area.

No. Generally, the scars become quite inconspicuous a few weeks to a few months after surgery. We have several ways to treat redness or raised incision scars. Sometimes the edges of the incisions can be further smoothed when needed with a quick 1-2 minute in-chair procedure a month or two later with some cautery. Over the course of time, the incisions tend to become barely visible.