How Can I Fix My Sagging Earlobes?

When it comes to aging, there are various parts of the body that tend to give us away no matter how well we care for ourselves. The neck, the eyes, and the breasts are three areas that have long been such “problem areas.” Now there’s another item to add to the list: the ears. They may not seem like the most obvious choice for a plastic surgery procedure, but for many people—especially women who have overstretched their earlobes after years of wearing heavy, dangly earrings—having their ears rejuvenated is high on their priority list. Years alone can do enough to make some seek out earlobe repairs, though . . . even those who haven’t actively damaged their ears with earrings and tribal gauging. The truth is, your earlobes are going to both lose volume and stretch down as you grow older no matter how gentle you are with them, which will result in a floppy, saggy look that’s hard to hide (think Kirk Douglas at this year’s Oscars).

So what to do about it? Luckily, there are a handful of simple ways to address the issue. For those who still have some elasticity in their earlobes but are beginning to see a little bit of droopiness, the solution is especially easy—all that’s required is a little bit of injectable filler to plump the lobe slightly and reduce the size of the earring hole (if there is one). For more severe cases of stretching, or for those who have lost too much volume in their lobes for fillers to be enough, some tissue removal and suturing may be necessary in order to achieve the desired shape.

If you’re unhappy with how your ears look due to earlobe damage, or simply due to the passage of time, contact your plastic surgeon. Fixing it might be easier than you think. And if you want to delay getting to the point where you need to repair your lobes, consider sacrificing fashion for comfort—avoid wearing heavy earrings!