Category: Gage Hole Repair

There are several reasons patients desire ear lobe surgery. Occasionally patients just have larger then normal dangling ear lobes that they wish to have reduced in size.  For some they have an ear lobe that has torn from the long term weight of heavy ear rings; others a trauma like a child pulling an ear ring caused the tear. Since gages have become much more common, some people wish to have the gage hole removed as they seek out new employment options. The armed services, many fire departments or police departments require gage holes be closed before enlisting or starting training for public service jobs.

The up side of all these reasons for ear lobe surgery is that except in young children the surgery is easily performed under local anesthesia in the office with numbing injections. The ear lobe is a very easy structure to numb up with simple injections from a tiny needle, and can stay numb for 4 to 6 hours. This always proves to be a much smaller deal then the patients think as they chat with the doctor or just relax for a few minutes while they get a new ear lobe.

Once nice and comfortable ear lobes that have tears or most gage hole repairs have a pie wedge of the torn edges or sides of the gage holes excised and the front and back of the ear lobes sewn back together so it looks like an ear lobe before any piercings. A small tape dressing is applied and a week or so later the sutures are removed. Contact sports and swimming should be avoided for a few weeks to be sure no damage happens shortly after the procedure.

Patients having ear lobe reductions may have slightly different designs to the location of the incisions depending on the natural shape and size of the ear lobe, but the procedure and recovery is very similar to the other repairs. Ear lobe repairs is a very commonly performed procedure in Dr. Nelson’s office. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us for an evaluation.