So, You Ripped a Hole in Your Earlobe—Here's How to Fix It
I’d never thought much about plastic surgery until last year, when my left ear piercing enlarged just enough for a stud to fall through. The trouble all started with the small gauge I wore when I was 15 to expand my earring hole. Though I (thankfully) abandoned the idea after a few months, the hole still isn’t any smaller nearly 10 years later. In fact, my love of earrings means the hole has grown instead.
As it turns out, my cousin can identify with my stretched-ear woes: Her own earlobe ripped a few summers ago when someone at a wedding accidentally pulled at her earring. While we commiserated one day, my cousin told me a few quick stitches at the doctor’s office could fix my stretched out earlobe. Intrigued, I reached out to plastic surgeons to learn more. Here’s what to know if you, like me, have large holes in your earlobes.
First, let’s talk about how something as cringe-worthy as ripping an earlobe is even possible in the first place.
Your earlobes, which are made of skin and fatty tissue, are quite strong and flexible, but not as hardy as the rest of your cartilage-based ear structure, Peter W. Henderson, M.D., plastic surgeon and assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, tells SELF.
When you get your earlobes pierced, those tiny wounds signal your body to repair the injuries and create fresh skin, dermatologist Cerrene N. Giordano, M.D., tells SELF. The issue is that those flaps of newly divided skin need a way to stitch themselves up separately from each other and leave a tiny hole behind. “Think of it as a tunnel lined with skin that won’t close, as opposed to raw tissue that will,” Dr. Henderson says.
This explains your piercer’s instructions to wear earrings at all times during the healing process. “When you keep an earring long enough between the two edges, the skin epithelializes around it,” meaning that the open wound heals so it’s like the skin covering the rest of your body, Rachel Bluebond-Langner, M.D., New York City plastic surgeon and associate professor of reconstructive plastic surgery at NYU Langone, tells SELF. “A normal [earlobe] piercing can heal completely within the first week or month,” she says.
Even after the piercing has healed, though, putting too much force on that skin can cause it to stretch or even split completely. Earlobe tears can occur through accidental trauma, like when my cousin’s earring got yanked, or when your earring gets caught in your sweater as you tug it over your head. (Even Beyoncé isn’t immune; she ripped her earlobe during an October 2016 performance, but she kept singing instead of shrieking and assuming the fetal position like a mere mortal might). Gradual elongation, which can happen if you routinely wear heavy earrings or use gauges, can also lead to earlobe rips, Dr. Henderson says.
The good news is that a doctor can repair these tears, but treatment depends on your preferences and how severe the tear is.
Cosmetic surgeons perform most earlobe repairs in-office under local anesthesia, Dr. Giordano says.
With a fine scalpel and a form of magnification, your doctor will cut away the skin lining the hole to create a new wound, then add a few quick stitches to promote healing by holding your skin together. Doctors can use different incision techniques, like cutting the skin in a wedge shape, or making slits that look like the letter V, L, or Z. The whole procedure takes about 15 to 20 minutes per ear, Dr. Giordano says.
“With a complete tear, you have to be careful to get the bottom border lined up to prevent it from notching,” Dr. Henderson says. Notching happens when there’s visible unevenness where the two flaps of skin join together. It may be more likely with wedge repairs, Dr. Giordano says, so it can be worth asking your doctor about that possibility and which technique they can use to prevent it.
If your earring holes are stretched because of small gauges, ask your doctor about using a punch tool for repair. This nifty machine punches out a hole that’s just a shred larger than the piercing, creating fresh, wounded skin that is then sutured together. “It’s the same concept as repairing a tear but without using a scalpel or scissor,” Dr. Giordano explains. It’s also a better option for people who have used smaller gauges, as the holes resulting from larger ones may not leave enough skin to punch out.
No matter which exact kind of earlobe repair she performs, Dr. Giordano advises her patients to clean the wound daily with mild soap and water, cover it with a bandage, and apply petroleum jelly for the week or so that the stitches are in place. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, petroleum jelly helps wounds stay moist so that the injured skin can heal. A scab might form if the wound dries out, which may result in a longer healing period and scarring.
After about five to seven days, the stitches are typically ready to come out so you can revel in your fancy new earlobes, Dr. Giordano says. The wound should close up in a few weeks, and it may take around a year for the scarring to fade, Dr. Henderson says—but you can get a good idea of what you’re working with once the stitches come out.
If you’re not into the idea of cutting your earlobes at all, your doctor may be able to instead inject fillers, like Juvederm or Restylane, into the tissue surrounding the widened opening. “You’re trying to plump up the earlobe slightly so you fill the hole,” Dr. Giordano explains. The extra padding also prevents your delicate lobes from ripping and provides more cushioning for heavy jewelry. Fillers aren’t as helpful for people with severe elongations or complete tears, though, and require touch-ups every six months to a year.
Depending on a few key factors, earlobe repairs might cost up to $1,000, which just adds insult to injury.
Although these procedures are usually relatively easy and painless, insurance typically doesn’t cover them, Dr. Giordano says.
In fact, some people decide not to get their earlobes repaired because of the price tag, which can range between $300 and $1,000 based on where you live, the type of repair you want, and whether you need both earlobes mended, Dr. Henderson says. “It completely depends on the institution or physician,” Dr. Giordano adds. “There is generally one price for one ear, and oftentimes a slightly discounted price for the treatment of both ears.”
In rare situations, some insurance companies cover excision of a painful keloid scar resulting from earlobe repair, Dr. Giordano says, adding that this is uncommon and only happens if your body doesn’t react well to the repair in the first place.
When all is said and done, you’ll have to wait at least a few weeks before getting your ears pierced again.
Ask your doctor how long you should wait, then let your piercer know what’s up so they can avoid piercing the exact same spot. Otherwise, you’re just putting more stress on an area that’s already been through a lot, Dr. Henderson says.
To avoid your lobes tearing again—or to try to prevent them from stretching a ton over time—it’s a good idea to alternate between light earrings that feel like you’re wearing nothing and ornate ones that may feel more like your ears are weight training. As for gauges, consider how likely you are to be happy with them long-term (or how much you’ll care about getting them repaired if they’re just a phase for you, like they were for me).
When it comes to my own stretched earlobe, I’m happy that shrinking the hole seems pretty quick, and not nearly as shudder-inducing as I expected.
Knowing there are various options is pretty reassuring. If I were to book an appointment now, I’d probably consider fillers since my hole isn’t too deep or large—my only wish is that they’d last longer. Like, uh, forever, please? Maybe one day…
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