The ear lobe has a special importance among facial structures. It is particularly important due to the practice in many parts of the world of piercing it in order to wear ear rings.
The ear lobe consists of skin and fat. Unlike the rest of the ear, it does not have any thick cartilage. Hence, it is easy to perforate an ear lobe. Many cultures encourage the piercing of the ear lobe for adorning jewellery. Piercing the ear lobe adds to the possibility of ear lobe rupture. While some ear lobe tears may heal with time, many require medical attention. Most of the times, ear lobe repair is needed due to damage induced by wearing heavy ear rings or other such jewellery. In some cases, it may be because of someone (mostly a child) tugging on the earlobe / ear ring.
Earlobe repair is quickly becoming one of the most requested procedures in the United States. More and more people are coming in to get their earlobes repaired. In some cases, folks have waited years before seeking earlobe repair. Some have removed their gauges or heavy earrings, the soft tissue has shrunken a bit, but there is still a significant hole.
Elongated earlobe holes, or a split earlobe, can be caused by many things:
Incomplete cleft – this is usually bilateral and frequently found in elderly women who have worn heavy earrings for many years
Full cleft – usually unilateral, caused by direct local trauma like sudden pulling of earrings
There is another way of classifying earlobe repair:
