Can I Get my Ear Repierced After a Keloid?

Our office repairs earlobes after a traumatic tear of earrings, gauge piercings, or after a facelift in which the earlobes are stretched. Earlobe surgery is composed of several techniques that can either repair torn earlobes (split earlobes) or correct overly redundant earlobe tissue from piercings or genetics or stretching. Our HIDEF earlobe repair includes a recontouring of the earlobe contour using multi-layered sutures to reapproximate the curvature of the earlobe; while simultaneously restoring contour to the ear. In patients with pixie ears after facelift surgery, an alternate technique is used to reduce the dependance of the earlobe on the facelift flap. Facelift surgery can reshape the earlobe and this requires restoration. Sutures are usually taken out within 10 days and the wound is repierced in 4-6 weeks thereafter. Keloid scars must be addressed in patients with known history for scarring.

Keloids are another major reason to undergo earlobe repair if there is a keloid scar nodule that has developed in the earlobe or ear cartilage rim. We use a combination of lasers, injections, and keloid surgery.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Earlobe piercing after keloid treatment has a high risk of keloid recurrence. You are fortunate that your keloid responded to steroid injection alone. Take care!

You can definitely get it repierced but you do risk the possibility of getting keloid scarring after the repiercing. There are ways to minimize the chance of getting a keloid again including steroid injections, silicone taping, and compression with magnets or clip ons. It is difficult to predict whether it will happen again but you can decrease your chances by using the above techniques. Hope this helps!

While it is certainly possible, it does carry risk.  Make sure you see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for a full evaluation and confirm this is a Keloid versus a Hypertrophic Scar.  Although they both have risks of coming back, the though process and decision process will change based on the diagnosis.Garrett A. Wirth, MD, MS, FACSWirthplasticsurgery.com

I understand your predicament , however, It is certainly possible to re-keloid if you choose to re-pierce the same spot.  You can try to have steroids injected again immediately after another piercing (and for a period of time thereafter) but it can be unpredictable and you have to be prepared for the consequences.

you are one of the lucky ones that has developed only a small keloid. it has also responded to the treatment. piercing the ear again can cause the keloid to come back and it may come back even larger than before.

wearing clip on earrings beats having a keloid on the ear. over the many years i have treated thousands of these keloids. some of them are huge and many of them are hard to remove. some are removed and come back years later.

consider yourself lucky and leave well enough alone!

 

Its certainly a possibility.  And no one can really predict what your chances are of having one but since you already did, its likely you could again.  Consider steroid injections at the time of your piercing and be prepared to have any unacceptable scar revised should it develop.  Good luck!

Yes, you can get your ear repierced.  Will you get another keloid?  Hard to say, but you clearly are at increased risk.  On a hopeful note, your other ear healed fine and the repiercing might heal fine too.  I guess if you are willing to take a risk and possibly treat another keloid, repiercing is an option.  It sounds like your keloid was small and responded to treatment, so taking a calculated risk is not unreasonable.  Good luck.

As a rule - should not re-pierce the ear (after developing keloid from piercing). 

You can have your ear re-pierced. That doesn't mean that you should. The main risk is that the keloid could recur and could be more severe this time. It sounds like you required fairly intense intervention and if you want to avoid going through that again it might be worthwhile to avoid repiercing your ear. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACS