Cleft Earlobe Patient – 135

A woman in her early 60’s who is bothered by drooping and a cleft of her earlobe. She is shown before and again, 5 months after a repair, combined with an “ear lobe lift” in the office. A lift is similar to a repair but a slightly larger wedge of skin is removed to account for the excess skin that occurs as the earlobe deflates with age. The earlobe is swung back and forth past an imaginary point to precisely mark the size of the wedge to be excised. In this way, the ear lobe appears more youthful after the repair than it would by only repairing the cleft.