At the time you decided to have your earlobes gauged, it seemed like a great idea. Maybe you just wanted to look different than most everyone else and this was a statement of your individuality. Perhaps it was done as a sign of rebelliousness and disdain for authority. Or, maybe it just made you look cool.

Whatever the reason was then, you probably didn’t consider the long term consequences of your action. Now you may be looking for a respectable job but many businesses won’t hire you because of your “statement” – unless you are applying at Starbucks. If you are considering enlisting in the military – forget it. They straight up won’t take you as long as you are walking around with holes in your earlobes.

What can you do?

Fortunately, gauged earlobes of essentially every possible degree of distortion and stretching can be reconstructed using meticulous plastic surgery techniques that both close the hole and provide a reasonable appearance. The following patient of mine illustrates both a fairly typical initial deformity and the outcome that can be achieved though plastic surgery.

This is a 29 year old male who had gauges in his earlobes for a year and a half and now needed to remove them and have the resulting holes closed (Figures A, C and E).

A.) Gauged right earlobe

B.) Right earlobe after surgery

C.) Gauged left earlobe

D.) Left earlobe after plastic surgery

E.) Gauged left earlobe

F.) Left earlobe after plastic surgery

His reconstruction was performed in the office with just local anesthesia, an approach that he found to be quite comfortable. Employing precise plastic surgical techniques under magnification, the earlobes were able to be reconstituted to an appearance that looked normal again (Figures B, D and F – which are 3 months post surgery). Needless to say, he was extremely happy and grateful with the results.

If you have any questions on the treatment of gauged earlobes or on any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform or to schedule a consultation with me, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

In my practice at the Arizona Center for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, I see and treat a lot of patients who have keloids. Many people have the misconception that if a scar is wide, dark or large it must be a keloid which is not necessarily the case. A keloid is specifically an elevated and firm scar that extends beyond the margins of the initial wound or surgery site, does not regress spontaneously and can be difficult to treat. It is often aesthetically displeasing in appearance and frequently is associated with symptoms such as pain, burning or itching.

Keloid of the ear

There are several risk factors that predispose a person to develop keloids though their formation is not “inevitable”. Many high risk individuals never develop them whereas some people without any discernable risk factors can form them. Among these factors are being dark complected, age less than 30 years, burns, ear and earlobe piercings and injuries or surgery to the sternum and to a much lesser extent, the shoulders and upper arms. Certain orientations of these wounds also elevate the risk.

Keloid of the upper arm

Keloid of the shoulder

There are several treatment options available but effectiveness is increased with a lower incidence of recurrence when these are combined. The most commonly employed approaches include pressure dressings, steroid injections, topical silicone gel sheeting and surgical excision. More rarely employed treatments include using a pulsed dye laser, radiation treatments and intralesional injections of chemotherapy agents. Treatment should be individualized for each patient and would be determined by several factors.

The overwhelmingly most common area affected by a keloid that I see is the earlobe with the sternum being a distant second. I have seen them in every race – Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian-American, African-American, Native American, etc. – and in both females and males. Unless the keloid is extremely small (which is rare), the approach that I usually recommend and which is highly effective is for both surgical excision and steroid injection at the same time with possible re-injection a month later. Patients are then followed up on a monthly basis for any evidence of recurrence which can occur even up to several years later. At the first sign of possible regrowth, I will aggressively re-inject with the steroid medication.

If you have any questions on the treatment of keloids of the earlobes or any other area, on scars in general, or on any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform or if you would like to schedule a complimentary consultation with me, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona

Stretching of the earlobes has been performed for thousands of years as evidenced by statues of the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt manifesting these changes. There has been a recent resurgence in its popularity for both men and women. This has been facilitated by the relative ease and safety of obtaining the desired outcome as well as the greater acceptance of these body piercings.

Nevertheless, many individuals who have gauged their earlobes decide at some point in time for any of a number of reasons that this appearance is no longer desired or appropriate. Removal of the gauges will result in the shrinkage of the size of the stretched deformity over a period of several months but there will never be closure of the created defect. The ultimate appearance including the size of the persistent defect, quality of the skin, extent of residual stretching and drooping will be affected by a multitude of factors. Many times this residual deformity can attract just as much attention if not more as having large prominent gauges still in place.

Now what? Fortunately, plastic surgery can be performed on the earlobe to reconstitute a more normal appearance. This reconstruction can be performed under local anesthesia in the office. It involves excising the skin along the margins of the opening and configuring a closure that will yield an acceptable earlobe shape. Discomfort from the procedure is usually fairly mild and often requires no pain medication. Sutures are left in for approximately one week.

If you have questions regarding the treatment for gauged earlobes or other earlobe or ear deformities, would like information on any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform or to schedule a consultation, please call my office at 480-451-3000.

Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona