Can a pixie ear be corrected to look like the other normal ear, or will that need to be altered to match the pixie ear as well?

Yes, pixie ears can be corrected in the office under local anesthesia. The skin around the earlobe is rotated in such a way as to help create a more normal appearing earlobe. Pixie ears can result after a facelift, necklift, or trauma to the earlobes. The procedures to correct it are usually very successful. Good luck!

It is amazing how plastic surgeons pay so kettle attention to properly shaping the earlobe during a facelift.  The result often that the earlobe gets dragged downward by the tension placed on it.  It is easy to avoid and pretty straightforward to fix.  Unfortunately to do it right, the correction often involved redoing much of the facelift.  If the earlobes aren't right, usually the rest of the face has not been properly fitted either.

The "pixie" ear deformity can be recognized by its "stuck on" or "pulled" appearance, which is caused by the tension involving the facelift cheek and jawline skin flaps at the earlobe attachment point. In many cases, this deformity may be improved in the office using local anesthesia. In more severe cases, a revision facelift may be advisable. If only one ear is affected, then a procedure may be limited to that ear without affecting the other ear. Consult with an experienced facial plastic surgeon to better understand the options available in your particular case.

The ear has to be placed in its natural position.  sometimes there is thethered scar that be released to improve the ear-cheek junction.  It is best to wait at least 1 year after the facelift procedure to correct the problem.

To fix a pixie ear deformity, you have to undergo another mini facelift and it can be done under local anesthesia for about $6000 and is so worth it since it makes you look more natural and less likely that people will comment about your original poor facelift.  Sincerely,

David Hansen,MD

Since most of us are born with earlobes that match (some have hanging lobules; other have natural attached lobes, or "pixie ears"), wanting your earlobes to match is both appropriate and achievable. Whether you you born with one of each, or whether this was a result of excessive tension or poor healing on one side after facelift surgery, surgical correction can be carried out.

I am going to assume that if the cause was a facelift, you are happy with the facelift results except for the effect on one earlobe. If not, as other have suggested, facelift revision may be necessary, and the earlobe problem is only one symptom of a larger concern.

Correcting the pixie earlobe is easily done under local anesthesia, but should NOT just be a scar revision. Removing the old scar and resuturing only tightens the area more, and will not correct the problem. Instead, enough release of facial skin must be done to decrease the tension on the earlobe, and sutures must be placed to maintain this avoidance of tension on the earlobe. Since the earlobe has no cartilage or bony support, this is indeed a poor structure to suspend a cheek from during facelift surgery!

To repair the problem, your facial skin just behind the earlobe must be secured with long-acting dissolving sutures to the fascia of the mastoid bone, also located just behind the earlobe. This keeps the facial skin secured to this firm structure, and takes all tension off the earlobe. Simple fix, but you would be surprised how many facelift surgeons fail to do this simple step that prevents the problem in the first place!