Stretched ears. Surgery the only way to correct this? Will surgery involve cutting into my ear or can it just be sewn?

Thank you for your question.  We typically do this procedure in our office under local anesthesia.  We try and not cut through the entire earlobe, unless we have to.  We usually close the incision in layers to take the tension off of the incision.  This usually leads to a nicer incision line.  Please call the office for more details and the current costs.  Costs will typically depend on the complexity,  and how much time, the procedure will take.  Costs will vary from city to city.  We usually have our patients wait 3 months before re-piercing the earlobe, and 3 mm from the repair.  Best to see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon or Otolaryngologist (ENT).  They will help you make a plan to achieve your goals.
Jeffrey J. Roth, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Las Vegas Plastic Surgery

The earlobe has shrunk in size and can accommodate a minor surgical procedure to repair the earlobe gauge scar. I perform these under local anesthesia with amazing results. Best, Dr. KaramanoukianLos Angeles

Thank you for your question.  Split earlobes are very common and typically occur as a result of wearing heavy earrings for long periods of time. The pierced earlobe gradually gets stretched until it is totally torn through, causing a split earlobe. Earlobe repair and reduction surgery is a cosmetic surgery procedure that can effectively reshape the earlobes to a more aesthetically pleasing look.  The procedure will be a walk in walk out treatment that can really change your day to day living and allow you to wear your hair up and be able to wear earrings again.  The hole can be sutured with local anaesthetic.  Please make sure you find a reputable and qualified plastic surgeon who can assess you properly to give you a realistic idea of what outcome you can achieve.  All The Best 

Good question.  Surgery is the only solution you have.  They cant just be sewn together without a cut though.  You either need to take out a V wedge of skin or core out the center and then in both cases sew the cut edges closed.  It is pretty simple for the experienced surgeon and performed under local anesthesia.  

The holes are not too close to the edge. An onion ring shaped skin can be removed from the piercing and then the hole is stitched closed. RegardsDr. Janjua

 You appear to have elongated ear holes. If you choose not to have surgery you can use fillers to improve and camouflage the stretched out hole. If however you would like to completely correct this issue you do need surgery. The surgery takes approximately 30 minutes and will close the hole. You can then re pierce  your ear  approximately six weeks later.

After removing the ear stretcher the hole may shrink down a little in time. The longer you wore the oversized stretcher the less the likelihood of shrink.
We often resort to surgery to sort the issue Frequently found people find employment prospects by stretched ear lobules. The army and the police for example take a dim view.
The surgery is straightforward and can be done as an outpatient clinic treatment under local anaesthetic

Based on your pictures, there isn't a need to complete the split.  The skin from the inside of the hole can be removed and then it can be sewn together. This would be much less obvious than completing the split and then repairing it.  Hope this helps.

Dr. M

Thank you for your question. You submitted a photo of each earlobe, and concerned about the hole in the ears which became enlarged,  so you’re asking about surgical repair where you can maybe avoid having to cut all the way through beyond the hole inside and split the earlobe. You’re looking for a detailed answer about the approach that would be recommended in your situation.
I can give you some guidance on this question in the absence of a physical examination. A little background: I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. Helping people deal with stretched earlobes and elongated holes are very common procedures in our practice. I’ll share with you my thinking when I meet with a patient concerned about the hole they currently have in the earlobe.
To determine whether a hole is elongated to the point where the earlobe is best divided is the question of the proximity of the hole to the edge. If someone has been wearing heavy earrings that have been stretching the earlobe until there’s so little tissue between the edge of the hole and the edge of the ear, then it makes sense to just excise. Sometimes with such a significant amount of stretch, we have to do some kind of an earlobe reduction at the same time, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for you.
In your situation, the hole is enlarged, so it probably makes sense to look at the surgical option. Sometimes when someone has a good size amount of tissue, and their earlobe has a little amount of space, it’s almost better to do another piercing to avoid doing a repair or surgery.
In a situation like yours, looking at where those holes are which is kind of in the geometric center of the earlobe, it makes sense to cut out the hole in the middle with a donut hole type of approach. Inside of that hole where the earing is placed has epidermis - a smooth surface that’s continuous with the skin. To close that, you cut out the epidermis, then surgically close the hole. What I do is place stitches sometimes in the inside, as well as the front and the back and try to create an aesthetic closure, and at the same time maintain the shape of the earlobe. Sometimes, this procedure can be deceptively complex because you want to have the balance.
Allow that area to heal, then at a certain point, usually a few weeks, you can go ahead a re-pierce. I generally tell my patients not to pierce in the same place because that area is still going to take about a year to ensure healing. What we end up doing is piercing for the patient, so my assistants and the patient figure out the optimal location so the balance is there, then we place little gold stud earrings for them, then normal hygienic care. Once that area is healed, they can take that stud earring out, then use the jewelry they normally use.
I think that approach makes the most sense to me, again in the absence of a physical exam. Think of cutting the hole out in the donut, then a really nice surgical closure to achieve a minimal amount of scarring, and get a nice result so you can later have the earlobe re-pierced. I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for your question.This personalized video answer to your question is posted on RealSelf and on YouTube. To provide you with a personal and expert response, we use the image(s) you submitted on RealSelf in the video, but with respect to your privacy, we only show the body feature in question so you are not personally identifiable. If you prefer not to have your video question visible on YouTube, please contact us.

Thank you for the question. 
The repair of the stretched ear lobe is a great procedure that can restore the ear lobe to a “normal” appearance". Care must be taken during this procedure to avoid reducing the size of the ear and/or creating a notch/ depressed appearance in the area of the rim of the ear lobe. It is usually done under local anesthesia with very high patient satisfaction rates. Re piercing can be done, preferably in a spot away from the scar line, a few months down the line. Costs vary from practice to practice ($800-$1000 in our practice).
I hope this helps.