Reconstruction of the earlobe while preserving its volume following tunnel and plug piercing

Repair of gauge earlobe medium defect

“…Generally, punch or primary closure are proposed for minimal defects [8]. Excision with advancement flaps are proposed for large defects [1,2,6,8] and enrolled or folded flaps are used for extra-large defects [3][4][5]7]. But medium deformities are rarely described despite the fact that these are the most frequent of gauge ear-piercing deformities.…”

“…In this article we provide an easy technique for repair of expanded earlobe medium defect with a long-term satisfying result. Erhl [6] Collins [8] Hendersen [1] Arasaratnam [3] Pek [7] Bastazini [4] and Snell [5] Large Defects Extra-Large Defects Medium Defects Zeiderman [10] posterior side De la Sotta [9] Collins [8]…”

“…Surgical techniques for expanded earlobe defect repairs are not well described in existing literature. Moreover, the majority of such papers are focused on large defects [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] rather than medium defects [8][9][10]. In this article we describe a new and simple technique to repair those medium deformations due to ear gauging, which has produced excellent results on the earlobe shape.…”

The Rolling Earlobe Flap for Dilated Ear Holes Following Ear Gauging: A Novel Approach to Aesthetically Preserving Earlobe Soft Tissue Volume

“…Thus, avoidance of over-resection is important to ensure that enough tissue remains for reconstruction of the lobule. Concerns about ischemia at the tip of the flap have been raised, causing some surgeons to transect the flap around the midpoint of the lobular rim rather than at the facial-lobule junction [ 4 , 5 , 8 ]. This results in a scar along the free edge of the lobule.…”

“…Therefore, restoring dilated ear holes back to socially aesthetic norms presents a surgical challenge. The current techniques found in the literature include methods to repair dilated ear holes using a variety local flaps or tissue rearrangements [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. These techniques, despite being acceptable forms of repair, often fall short in aesthetic outcomes, as they either leave undesirable scars on the free edge of the lobule or significantly reduce the earlobe volume.…”