Earlobe attachment: do I have pixie ears now? (Photos)

Whenever I see a patient with attached earlobes before surgery I perform a little procedure that converts it to a detached lobe. Simple to avoid or fix pixie earlobes but the surgeon needs to know how.

Yes, you do do due to excessive pull on the earlobe.Christian Drehsen, MD

Dear dotsoncck,Thank you for your question. While your photographs show that you have have developed pixie ears, this can be best determined by an in-office exam by your surgeon. Pixie ears can usually be repaired with a small revision procedure. 

Thank you for your question and pictures.  Unfortunately pixie ear deformity can be a risk of having a facelift.  Normally surgeons would ask for you to wait 3-6 months before having an adjustment procedure to rectify your earlobes.  Please consult with your surgeon and suggest revision.  All The Best 

The earlobes are pulled down somewhat. This can be corrected under local anesthesia by tucking them up a bit.

They do appear to have the pixie deformity, although this may be your natural earlobe contour.  It is too early to correct now but in several months a revision can be done to correct this.  

It certainly looks like you are heading towards that problem.  It is caused by too much tension at the closure. Unfortunately it will likely worsen with time as the normal contraction of healing takes place.  Let you surgeon know that you are concerned. I am sure he can perform a minor tweaking procedure to improve the situation but it usually requires letting the incisions heal for at least 6 months.

Thank you for sending images- it would really be helpful to see images of your ear lobes before surgery to compare. That said, your ear lobes do appear to be slightly elongated. If this is markedly different from where they were before surgery, then unfortunately we would classify them as a "pixie deformity". The good news is that this deformity can be corrected with a fairly minor procedure done in the office under local (V to Y advancement). Please consult with your surgeon to let him know your concerns and discuss options for possible correction.Hope that helps!

Your earlobe attachment to your cheeks can be modified with a miner procedure under local anesthetic.  Speak to your surgeon and discuss treatment options. 

It would be ideal to see your preop photos as well. It can be difficult to match the exact degree of attachment that you had preoperatively but the lobes do appear to point downward somewhat in your postop pics. If this is more than you would like, it can typically be revised by "V to Y plasty." Hope that helps and best wishes, Dr. Donath