CASE REPORT: Laser Assisted Earlobe Repair

Oleg Matyunin, Anja Pucer
Pages: OnlineFirst

The increasing practice of ear piercing has resulted in more and more requests for ear lobe repairs in surgical practice. A variety of techniques have been described in literature for the correction of earlobe deformities. All involve surgical removal of the epithelium followed by different methods of suturing to close the tear and restore the earlobe architecture. Surgical incision or de-epithelialization results in relatively large post-operative scars counteracting the aesthetic effect of the procedure. We have aimed at evaluating an alternative approach to this first step of de-epithelialization with an ablative laser procedure, in order to minimize the extent of tissue removal, thus achieving more favorable aesthetic results. This paper reports on 5 cases of treatment of various ear lobe deformities, utilizing a 2940 nm Er:YAG laser (Dualis SP, Fotona). Efficient de-epithelialization can be performed using a combination of planar and fractional ablative Er:YAG short pulses, allowing for a fast healing process and comfort for the patient. This approach however still requires suturing of the wound edges to avoid bleeding and promote healing. Furthermore, laser excision combined with topical corticosteroid revealed to be successful in earlobe keloid removal.

Key words: earlobe deformity, earlobe tear, gauge piercing, keloid, Er:YAG.

Article: J. LA&HA, Vol. 2015, OnlineFirst. Received: April 3, 2015; Accepted: May 27, 2015

Laser Assisted Earlobe Repair