January 26, 2024, 9:03 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Anyone who likes to wear heavy earrings knows the problem: As you age, your earlobes become looser and start to sag. An earlobe correction can help with this. Experts explain what the treatment looks like and what risks are involved.
What Causes Sagging Earlobes?
Statement earrings are back in style–but if these eye-catching pieces are too heavy, they can cause earlobes to sag. According to the law of gravity, the lobe then stretches downward. However, this is not the only reason for the stretching of the fatty tissue, as dermatologist Dr. Melanie Neumann explains: “As you age, the elasticity of the skin decreases–this also applies to the earlobes.” Neumann’s colleague at the Munich private practice Dermatologie am Friedensengel, Dr. Miriam Rehbein, explains: “Gravity combined with weights, such as heavy jewelry, chronically stretches the tissue and destroys the elastic fibers. Eventually, the tissue can no longer spontaneously retract. It’s similar to extremely overweight individuals who often complain about excess skin after significant weight loss.”
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How Can You Prevent Earlobes from Stretching?
“There’s nothing you can do about it yourself,” says Neumann, adding: “Except maybe avoid heavy jewelry.” While age-related sagging of the earlobes cannot be prevented, extreme stretching can be. Dermatologist Dr. Robert Kasten also advises removing earrings before going to bed to give the earlobe a break overnight.
How Does a Cosmetic Procedure Correct Sagging Earlobes?
Treatment with Hyaluronic Acid
The earlobe can be thickened with the help of hyaluronic acid, as Dr. Neumann explains. It is injected to give the sagging earlobe additional volume, making it firmer and the skin more elastic. This can initially halt the aging process–and thus the stretching of the earlobe. However, if the earlobe is severely stretched, hyaluronic acid is no longer effective, Dr. Rehbein notes. In that case, one can either accept it or opt for surgery.
Surgical Earlobe Correction
But how does such an operation proceed? Dr. Rehbein explains: “The stretched earlobe is cut out using a specific technique, and the wound edges are sewn together from both sides. At the end of the surgery, there is virtually no hole left. After ten to 14 days, the stitches are removed. And a few months later, a normal earlobe piercing can even be done again.” The procedure, which takes about half an hour, is painless, assures the doctor. After the procedure, you only need to wear a special bandage and give the area some rest.
There is also the option to retain the earlobe hole despite correction, explains dermatologist Dr. Kasten: “I brought a method from the U.S. where we form a flap from the skin at the lateral edge of the stretched earlobe.” This is then folded over to create a skin barrier. “We insert a plastic tube into the reduced hole during the surgery. The patient can bring earrings from the jeweler after ten days, which we then insert immediately.” The operated earlobe is usually slightly swollen for two to three, rarely up to six weeks. The wound healing is so far completed after four to six weeks that the patient can wear their own earrings again. “However, we recommend avoiding heavy danglers in the first six weeks,” says the dermatologist.
What Complications Should Patients Expect?
As with all surgeries, complications can occur with earlobe correction. Kasten lists: “Possible complications include wound healing disorders, infections, and scars.” Visible scars are rather rare. If scars are visible after the procedure, they usually improve within nine to 12 months. “And complications are very rare with this procedure,” says the dermatologist.
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How Much Does the Correction Cost?
It depends on the degree of stretching. “Depending on the findings, the correction costs approximately 300 euros,” says Rehbein. She notes: “Correcting tunnels is, of course, a bit more complex than correcting a normal stretched earlobe.” Patients who find treatment with hyaluronic acid sufficient pay an average of about 200 euros, according to Neumann. The patient bears the cost themselves.
Do Many People Get Their Sagging Earlobes Reduced?
On average, two patients come to their practices weekly due to sagging earlobes, report both Dr. Neumann and Dr. Kasten. “Eighty percent of them are women,” Neumann adds. Her colleague Rehbein adds: “There are still more women than men, as women generally have more ear piercings. With men, we mostly correct tunnels.” Overall, there are about six to ten patients weekly who have their earlobes enhanced.