How to Heal Stretched Earring Holes

Co-authored by Jennifer Mueller, JD | Medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS

Last Updated: February 12, 2022 References

Whether you intentionally stretched your ears or have earring holes that stretched because you wear heavy earrings, the only way to truly repair the stretched holes is with surgery. A plastic surgeon or ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor cuts the hole and sews it back together. This is a relatively simple procedure and your ears heal within a few weeks. However, you'll have to wait longer if you want to pierce them again.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Getting Ear Repair Surgery

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Schedule consultations with 2 or 3 doctors. Ear repair surgery is a cosmetic procedure that typically isn't covered by private insurance. Because you'll likely be paying for the procedure yourself, you want to make sure that the doctor you choose is someone you feel comfortable with who will do good work.^{[2]
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- Most cosmetic surgeons will give you a free initial consultation. At the initial consultation, they'll look at your ear and describe what they can do to repair it.
- Ask each doctor lots of questions, including how long they've been practicing and how many of these procedures they've done. Many plastic surgeons have before and after pictures from previous surgeries that you can also look at.
- Costs for this procedure vary depending on the complexity of the damage to your ear. The doctor will let you know a total price at your initial consultation.
Tip: Even though your budget can be a huge factor, don't choose a plastic surgeon simply because they're the cheapest. Consider their personality as well as their experience.
2
Provide your medical history to ensure you're healthy enough for surgery. After you select a doctor, discuss the history of your health and any medications you’re taking with them. Your doctor may ask you questions about prior surgeries you’ve had or any complications you’ve had in the past. Be completely honest with your answers to ensure you’re safe for the surgery.^{[3]
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- Even though ear repair surgery is a relatively minor procedure don't with local anesthesia, there are still some risks, especially if you're taking medication for a chronic medical condition.
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3
Follow your doctor's pre-operation instructions. Based on your lab results and the information you provide about your health and medical background, your doctor will tell you what you need to do to prepare for your ear repair surgery. If you're healthy, you may not need to do anything special before surgery.^{[4]
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- Your doctor typically will tell you to refrain from smoking or drinking on the day of surgery. If you take blood thinners for high blood pressure, your doctor might advise you not to take them before the surgery.
- Drink plenty of water and make sure you're well-hydrated. It will help with recovery.
- Stop taking any blood thinners or supplements 2 weeks before your surgery.
4
Go to your doctor's office to get the procedure done. Ear repair surgery is typically done right in the doctor's office using only local anesthesia. After numbing your ear lobe, your doctor will cut the edges of the stretched earring hole, removing a thin layer of skin. Then, they will stitch it back together with sutures.^{[5]
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- Expect the procedure to last about a half-hour. If you have more complicated damage to your ear lobe, it might take longer.
- Typically, you'll have sutures on both the front and the back of your ear. You'll need to return to get the sutures taken out in about a week. Your doctor will usually schedule this appointment before you leave their office after the procedure.
- Because doctors typically only use local anesthesia for this procedure, it's perfectly safe for you to drive yourself.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Caring for Your Ears after Surgery

1
Wait 2 days before taking a shower or washing your hair. You can't get your ear lobes wet for at least 48 hours after the initial surgery, which means you'll have to refrain from washing your hair or taking a shower. You should also avoid swimming during this time.^{[6]
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- If you have longer hair, you might want to pull it back so that it doesn't interfere with your ears or contaminate the surgical site.
- If you go swimming regularly, ask your doctor when you can go swimming again. Typically, it will be okay to do so after the initial 2-day period. However, your doctor might want you to cover your ears to protect them from the chlorine in the pool.
- Avoid completely submerging your ears for the first 2–3 days so your sutures heal properly.
2
Clean the sutures and cover them with ointment 2 to 3 times a day. For the first 2 to 3 days after surgery, clean your ear lobes when you wake up, before you go to bed, and at least once midday. Some doctors prefer that you use soap and water, others a saline solution, to clean your ear lobes after surgery. After washing and patting them dry, cover them in an antibiotic ointment.^{[7]
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- Your doctor may recommend a specific brand of cleaning solution or ointment. If there's another brand that you prefer, ask them if you can use that instead.
3
Use a cold compress to reduce swelling. In the first 24 hours after your surgery, your ear lobe may be swollen. An ice cube wrapped in a washcloth and placed on your ear lobe can help the swelling go down. You can do this for up to 20 minutes once every 2 hours.^{[8]
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- Make sure you have a washcloth or towel to protect your skin. Never put anything frozen directly on your skin.
4
Take acetaminophen as needed for pain. While there's typically not much if any pain from a simple procedure, you may feel some pain after a more complex ear repair. Unfortunately, many over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, thin your blood and can cause bleeding from the surgical wound. Instead, take acetaminophen (Tylenol) if you feel like you need something for pain. Follow the instructions on the bottle regarding dosage unless your doctor advises you otherwise.^{[9]
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- If you were taking a blood thinner for a medical condition, your doctor might advise you to discontinue taking it for the first day or two after your surgery unless doing so would put your health at risk.
- You also want to avoid any herbal supplements or teas that might have blood-thinning properties, including garlic, ginger, ginkgo, ginseng, and green tea.
5
Return to your doctor's office after 1 week. Approximately 7 to 10 days after your surgery, you'll have a post-op appointment for the doctor to remove your sutures. They'll also evaluate the recovery and talk to you about the healing process.^{[10]
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- It may still be 2 to 4 weeks before your ears are completely healed. Your doctor can give you an estimate based on their condition after the sutures are removed.
- If you had holes stretched by heavy earrings repaired, you'll likely only have a small scar. Other than that scar, your ears will look about the same as they did before. If you had larger holes repaired, however, you'll have a larger scar and your ear lobe shape may be different than it was before you started stretching them.^{[11]
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Wait at least 6 weeks before re-piercing your ears. Your doctor's post-op instructions will typically tell you how long you should wait before you get your ears pierced again. The length of time will vary depending on the complexity of the repair that was made and the size of the incision.^{[12]
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- If your doctor instructed you to wait longer than 6 weeks, follow your doctor's instructions. If you want to get your ears re-pierced sooner, you might have them look at your ears and let you know if you can.
- If you had holes stretched with gauges or plugs, you may never be able to pierce your ears again, depending on how much you stretched them and the complexity of the repair surgery.^{[13]
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Tip: When you do get your ears re-pierced, avoid getting the hole in the exact same place. That place will likely stretch or tear more easily.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Preventing Stretched Earlobes

1
Switch out your heavy earrings for lighter ones. Over time, heavier earrings will cause your earring holes to stretch. This is especially true if you've already had stretched holes repaired before. If you like large fashion earrings, look for ones that are hollow or made out of more lightweight materials.^{[14]
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- You can also convert your large fashion earrings into clip-ons and wear them that way, so you don't have to get rid of your favorite pair of earrings to save your ears.
Tip: Save your heavier "statement" earrings for special events when you'll likely only be wearing them for a couple of hours.
2
Take your earrings out as soon as you get home. Make a habit of not wearing your earrings when you're at home — especially the longer, heavier varieties. If you have a table near the door, place a small decorative bowl or dish on that table so you'll have a place for your earrings.^{[15]
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- Even if you leave earrings in for a little while after you get home, always remember to take them off before you go to bed. Sleeping in your earrings can cause injury to your ear lobes.
3
Use more supportive earring backs to distribute the weight. When you wear pierced earrings, the weight is all being held on one point. If you distribute the weight across a wider portion of your ear lobe, heavier earrings will be less likely to cause your holes to stretch.^{[16]
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- You can buy earring backs at jewelry or beauty supply stores or online. Look for ones that specifically state that they distribute the weight of heavy earrings. Then, you can replace your regular earring backs with the more supportive ones.
4
Avoid earrings that can easily snag or catch. Long, dangly earrings can get caught on your collar or shoulder or snag on your coat. When they pull on your ear, they'll gradually stretch your earring holes.^{[17]
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- If you like dangly earrings, look for ones made from a material that doesn't snag (rub it lightly against a sweater to check), or with designs that don't have hooks or points that could easily get caught on something.