torn earlobe

[ponder]

As I was getting my niece''s bath ready, she turned to me and told me that her ear lobe hurt. She had been wearing dangly earrings and must have pulled on it. The lobe is torn, but not all the way through. Her earring hole is now about three times the size it was and it was bleeding slightly. I removed the earring and cleaned the lobe with her earring/lobe cleaner.

I am sure this is a fairly common thing, but I have no experience with it. Beyond keeping it clean and dry is there anything I should do? Should I put an earring in it to keep it from closing up?

Advice please!

 

[movie zombie]

i tore mine through. doctor stiched it and i had to have it re-pierced. i am told it is now stronger than original and will never again tear due to the scar tissue.

i wore heavy earrings while my ears were infected and thus had an elongated hole......that then tore when i caught a comb in it. personally, i''d have a doctor look at it. she could end up with a very ugly elongated hole and not able to wear studs.....i certainly couldn''t when mine was elongated.

mz

 

[Pandora II]

Take her to a doctor as she may need the ear-lobe stitched.

It''s fairly common in kids with earrings - my father was forever stitching them back together... hence why my sisters and I weren''t allowed earrings till we were 16!

 

[oddoneout]

How long after it was torn can you get your hole stitched?

 

[movie zombie]

it was about 24 hours before i went in....and i was scolded for waiting.

again, personally, i''d take her to the doctor and let the doctor decide the next step.

mz

 

[ponder]

Thanks guys,

I dont know if it is big enough to put a stitch in, but I called her mom and she is trying to get an appointment for me to take her to today.

 

[ponder]

Thanks for all of the advice!

The verdict....

Not bad enough for stitches. Her MD said to keep it clean and dry for at least two weeks and then try stainless steel or gold studs. One of three things will happen:
It will heal closed and she will have to repierce later.
It will heal with no slit will remaining, and she can go back to wearing earrings.
It will heal with the slit open and will have to have a plastic surgeon repair it later.

This experience gives me another reason to wait until my 8 month old is MUCH older to get her ears pierced.

 

[swingirl]

Date: 2/8/2010 10:05:10 PM
Author: ponder
This experience gives me another reason to wait until my 8 month old is MUCH older to get her ears pierced.

I don''t think you said how old your niece is but I agree 100% with letting children be children and leave the adult jewelry for adults. Children also have softer skin that probably tears more easily and they lead more active lives. Hopefully it will heal and not need plastic surgery. I wonder why leaving the earrings out completely isn''t an option.

 

[movie zombie]

i''m with swing.....i''d probably not put an earring in and let it heal totally. one of the pluses of young skin is its healing properties......

mz

 

[drk]

This is why my Mom originally said no earrings till 16, then dropped it to 13, then to 10 when I kept begging. But I wasn''t allowed to wear anything dangly till I hit 13, specifically to avoid a torn lobe.
Hope it heals well!

 

[ponder]

My niece is 9 and she has had her ears pierced a total of 3 times now. She had them first pierced a 6 weeks old, but had to remove them at age two for a heart surgery and they closed. She repierced them at age 6 and just got second holes last month for her birthday.

The Dr said that the ear should heal in 10 to 14 days and then she can try a high quality stainless steel or gold earring. IF she were my child I would leave the earrings out, but its not my decision. My niece wants her earrings back in asap and I am sure her mom will let her. The best I can do is to try and persuade her to not let my niece wear cheap dangly earrings and not to sleep in them.

The ear itself looks great. Swelling, redness, and bleeding are all gone and there is only a tiny scab. But, I have a feeling there will be a permanent slit.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 2/9/2010 9:43:37 PM
Author: ponder
My niece is 9 and she has had her ears pierced a total of 3 times now. She had them first pierced a 6 weeks old, but had to remove them at age two for a heart surgery and they closed. She repierced them at age 6 and just got second holes last month for her birthday.

The Dr said that the ear should heal in 10 to 14 days and then she can try a high quality stainless steel or gold earring. IF she were my child I would leave the earrings out, but its not my decision. My niece wants her earrings back in asap and I am sure her mom will let her. The best I can do is to try and persuade her to not let my niece wear cheap dangly earrings and not to sleep in them.

The ear itself looks great. Swelling, redness, and bleeding are all gone and there is only a tiny scab. But, I have a feeling there will be a permanent slit.

Good grief... second holes at 9! Most people I know with 2 holes has them done as teenagers as an act of ''rebellion''.

 

[noelwr]

I know that this wasn''t orginally the topic of discussion, but I have to disagree and say that would I have my daughter''s ears pierced as a baby. my mom wanted to do mine when I was a baby but my dad wouldn''t allow it. I had it done at 6 and it hurt like hell. I had my 2nd holes done at 21 and thought I would pass out. so in retrospect, I wish my parents had it done much earlier (not the 2nd holes, though, as I do agree that is more for the teenage years and on).

anyway, I have no statistics, but I would venture to say that most girls who have their ears pierced early on do not experience a torn earlobe. when your daughter does get her ears pierced, allowing only studs could also help in preventing this.