Will Stretched Ear Lobes Ever Shrink Back to Normal Size?

This is a common question. The holes will shrink to a certain degree but never completely close. Surgery is your best option if you would like to have a closed hole. The procedure is an office procedure performed under local anesthesia. Good luck.

The ear lobes may shrink by themselves, but only by a modest amount. Surgery is probably the only predictable way to reduce them.

The earlobe will shrink but never look normal again without surgery.  I would wait until it finnishes shrinking on its own before cutting out and closing the hole.  You cannot wear the gauges for the entire time that it is shrinking.

This is a very common issue in the young patient population.  The short answer is no.  The long answer is that it also depends on how stretched the skin was to begin with.  No matter what, you will need some form skin closure to close the hole and then re-piercing after that.  That is your best solution.

Small to medium gauge piercings will permanently stretch your ear lobes. I agree with my fellow plastic surgeons that even though your gauge piercings are smaller than some others that your earlobes will never completely heal on their own. They WILL contract but there will always be a hole there. Repair can be performed in the office and typically results in a nice appearing earlobe.

Stephen Weber MD, FACS

Web reference: http://weberfacialplasticsurgery.com/scar-treatments/

If the ring is removed the size of the hole will decrease but by how much is unpredictable.  This will occur over approximately 6 months.  Based on the photograph you provided, I would not think that the final size -  in the absence of surgery - would be cosmetically acceptable to you.

You have small gauged earlobes in comparison to some I have seen. When you remove your gauges, your earlobe holes will shrink down to some degree. The holes will never completely close and it is just a matter of how small they will get. After 6 months they will likely shrink down leaving a residual hole about the size of half a pencil width.

Web reference: http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/ear.html

Thank you for the question and your picture. In most cases, the gauged piercing hole will shrink down somewhat. It will never actually close, however, because the skin heals inside the piercing. In most cases, the shape of the lobe improves a little over time, but many patients still request repair. I have had patients remove gauges around the same size as yours and then wait a few months to allow some contraction before closure. This can improve the cosmetic result. Best of luck moving forward!

Web reference: http://www.sanfranciscofacialplasticsurgery.com/facial-plastic-surgery-san-francisco/ear/earlobe-repair/

The skin will shrink to a certain degree, but to have them "back to normal" you will most likely need to have an earlobe repair.  It is done in the office and requires sutures.  This procedure is requested often and performed at our practice for gauged ears.  I would consider this when deciding if you would like to gauge your earlobes.

Skin can shrink and occasionally after stretching the ears a great improvement can occur.  This is not predictable and after one year, there probably will not be much further improvement.

Web reference: http://www.revesse.ca/otoplasty.html