Earlobe Tears / Lacerations
Because piercings are susceptible to the environment
around you, they are often caught on objects and torn. This is especially
true of earlobe piercings. For those of you who have ever caught a piercing
on a shirt or on your hair, you know the tweak of pain it will cause,
and can imagine how it would feel to tug out the entire piercing. By
far the most common cause of earlobe tears in women with brown skin
is wearing jewelry that is simply too heavy. Large hoop earrings are
the most common offenders In this case the pierced are slowing increases
in size until the lobe is torn completely through. These gradual tears
are usually without symptoms and bleeding does not occur. If an earring
is suddenly yanked or pulled out, the area will be painful and may bleed.
Immediately after the tear, if the skin lining the slot is raw, there
is a possibility of infection.
A tear in the earlobe or margin of the ear leaves a
notch in the otherwise smooth continuous edge. This defect is usually
very visible and will require repair by your doctor. Depending on the
deformity, surgical reconstruction can take several forms. In all methods,
the skin lining the slot of the piercing is removed to create a raw
edge after the area is numbed with an anesthetic. The raw edges are
brought directly together using a combination of dissolvable stitches
in the deeper layers and skin sutures that are removed after 10 days.
In this operation, you lose the piercing hole, but after several months
of healing, the ear can be pierced again if desired. A second method
is sometimes used for repair where a flap is used to redistribute tissue
and sculpt the shape of the ear. If your ear piercing has been closed
and you want a new hole pierced, it is best to wait six months after
surgery. With all repaired lobes, it is best to avoid heavier jewelry
or the newly pierced area may tear again. Clip on earrings may be worn
for six weeks or so after surgery.
