Yes, and most dermatologic surgeons can do the procedure in about half an hour in the office. THE GOING RATE IS ABOUT $325 PER HOUR.
If the hole in a pierced ear is very big and elongated, the surgeon, after numbing the earlobe with lidocaine, may actually create a complete slit, so that the earlobe hangs down in two pie-shaped pieces.
In traditional surgery, the surgeon sutures the two flaps together with absorbable stitches, WHICH DISSOLVE OVER TIME, said Dr. Lawrence Green, a spokesman for the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery who is in private practice in the Washington, D.C. area.
In a new variant of the procedure, the surgeon uses non-absorbable sutures called Prolene to hold the flaps together, said Dr. Steven Greenbaum, director of Skin and Laser Surgery Center of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and a professor of dermatology at Drexel University College of Medicine. Because this material is not absorbed, it becomes a kind of permanent scaffolding that strengthens the earlobe, said Greenbaum, who has published details of his method in the journal Dermatologic Surgery. Greenbaum said the new procedure reduces the risk of future tearing of the earlobe.
With either procedure, the doctors said, the earlobe can be re-pierced after it has fully healed, which takes about three months. Like most cosmetic procedures, this one is not typically covered by insurance. To find a dermatologic surgeon who can do the procedure, you can search on www.asds.net.