In my early 30’s, I thought I was immune to sagging body parts. A few years ago I found myself frantically Googling, “How To Fix Those Saggy Ear Lobes.” To be accurate, I had just one torn ear lobe. Enter Dr. Flora Levin, the plastic surgeon goddess who agreed to fix my sagging lobe. You may remember when I saw her last year to help with my dark under-eye circles.
The Backstory on the Night my Lobe Began to Tear
Picture this…
It is two years ago, and I am on a beach on an island off the coast of mainland Belize. My best friend has just tied the knot. I’ve given my speech 100% sober, and I am absolutely ready to party. The DJ is blasting house music, and I feel the dance floor calling my name- a personal invitation to tear it up. Hardwell’s “Young Again” leaves me barefoot, in the middle of a dance circle, crying, holding hands, and singing with my girlfriends. There was so much singing, crying, and jumping. I think the jumping is what proved to be problematic for my lobes. With every beat, I can feel my fabulous statement earrings flop up and down in my ears. Maybe it was the Pinot Grigio, but I didn’t have a care in the world. However, I certainly wasn’t concerned about the safety of my lobes.
Meeting Dr. Levin
Fast forward a few months, and I started noticing my earrings were sagging. The skin in my ears looked so thin, and I was worried that the hole would tear completely. I continued to wear heavy earrings until I noticed my ear started bleeding. It was at that point that I knew I needed to fix my sagging ear lobe.
I started talking to Dr. Levin on Instagram and asked her if she thought she could help fix it. If you are local, I’m sure you’ve heard of Dr. Levin or seen her Instagram. She is an absolute wizard with the knife, so I was honored to have her fix my ear lobe. She explained that it would be relatively simple and take only a few months to heal completely.
The procedure took about fifteen minutes. Dr. Levin cut my original piercing all the way through. Then, she carefully sewed the two flaps together to make my lobe smooth. Ten months later, my original hole is closed up and barely visible.
Your Questions:
Over the last year, this is a topic that always gets a lot of questions when I mention it on Instagram or Facebook stories.
- Was it painful? Not at all! Dr. Levin numbed the area first, and I honestly felt nothing. I didn’t even feel pain in the coming days as the incision began to heal.
- How long do you have to go without wearing earrings? Dr. Levin said we could try to pierce my ears after a few months. After the pandemic hit in March, I figured I would let me ears heal a bit longer. I didn’t end up piercing my ears again until about 10 months after my procedure with Dr. Levin. The girl who pierced my ears mentioned that she likes to give piercings a full year to heal before trying to pierce again in the same general area.
- Was it expensive? You can expect to pay anywhere from $600 or more for the repair. That being said, I would suggest only seeing a plastic surgeon for this type of procedure. I swear Dr. Levin could have performed this repair with her eyes closed. (Don’t worry, we didn’t test out my theory.) *Full disclosure, I was lucky enough to be able to work in partnership with Dr. Levin for this procedure.
- Does insurance cover it? In short, no. A lengthier answer, possibly. For example, if you tore it completely and ended up at the ER in need of stitches.
- Where did you get your piercing redone? After getting Dr. Levin’s stamp of approval’ to pierce it again, I went to a local and reputable piercing and tattoo shop.
- Can you wear earrings now? Currently waiting my new piercing to heal. I’m about 4 weeks away from switching out of my piercing studs.
- How do you prevent it from tearing again? Since my original piercings were done when I was 5 years-old, my ears have changed a bit. We pierced them a little bit higher up on the lobe. Hopefully, this will provide more skin to hold heavier earrings. I will say this, I think I am a few months away from attempting bold statement earrings.
- Was it worth it? 100%! I am so glad that I met Dr. Levin and she was able to help fix my saggy ear lobes. If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you know how much I love statement earrings. Not being able to wear them over the last ten months has been a bummer. Most importantly, I am so excited to be able to wear some of my favorite earrings again.
Dr. Levin is located at 131 Kings Hwy N in Westport, CT.
