Cosmetic Surgery Can Correct Stretched Earlobes

More cosmetic surgeons are performing an operation that reverses gauging, a procedure where one’s earlobes are deliberately stretched and widened. The surgery is being requested by individuals who have regrets about having their lobes stretched, reports msnbc.com.

Ear surgery, also known as otoplasty, is often requested by people going on a job interview, says Dr. Angelo Cuzalina, a cosmetic surgeon in Tulsa, Oklahoma and president-elect of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

Dr. Cuzalina says, “It’s almost becoming a fad. People have the gauging procedure where they gradually stretch out their lobe so it has a giant hole that’s larger than a quarter. But then they want to join the workforce and think their chances for a job might be better if they didn’t have this.”

New Jersey plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Glatt says he is seeing more patients who gauged their ears as teens but are now outgrowing the trend. He does surgery for those who want their lobes reconstructed and cautions them never to perform gauging a second time.

Dr. Cuzalina explains that to perform the surgery, the surgeon removes small strips of skin from the bottom of the lobe, the edges of the lobe are stitched back together, and then skin tissue is used to re-create the shape of a normal ear lobe.

While patients should expect some scarring, after several months, the person should be able to wear regular earrings again, says Dr. Cuzalina. Aside from the scars, the procedure yields a relatively normal-looking earlobe, he adds.

“It usually takes some change in a person’s life to force them to come in and get the surgery,” says Dr. Cuzalina.

Dr. Branman performs ear surgery in his Little Rock, Arkansas cosmetic surgery practice.