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Earlobe rejuvenation using fat grafting improves volume deficiency
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Earlobe rejuvenation using a fat grafting technique improves volume deficiency and smooths fine lines, according to study results published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
The fat grafting technique developed by the senior author, Bahman Guyuron, MD, FACS, is used to repair the common signs of aging in the earlobe, including elongation, deflation and wrinkling.
The researchers reviewed the outcomes of 20 patients (17 women, three men) who underwent the rejuvenation procedure on both earlobes by Guyuron between January 2004 and December 2014. Mean patient age was 63 years (range, 47-74 years).
The authors of the study assessed the outcomes by reviewing preoperative and postoperative photographs.
Of the 40 earlobes, 36 (90%) were rated as improved in volume deficiency, while four were rated as not changed. Twenty-one earlobes (53%) had fewer deep creases, including 10 of which had at least a 50% reduction in the number of creases. There were 16 earlobes the researchers found to have no change in the number of creases and three that had more deep creases postoperatively.
The earlobes also showed an improvement for reduced crease depth (n = 21; 53%) and improvement in the number of fine wrinkles (n = 24; 60%). There were, however, 10 earlobes (25%) that showed a worsening of crease depth and three (8%) that showed an increased number of fine wrinkles.
Observation of the increased creases and wrinkles in certain patients led the researchers to alter their technique to combine a more aggressive volume replacement with posterior or combined anterior and posterior wedge excision.
“[This technique] can be conducted with or without rhytidectomy and is a fast, easily adoptable technique with minimal risk,” the researchers wrote. “There is plenty of extra fat during a rhytidectomy and thus no need for harvesting or preparing (spinning) fat for this purpose.” – by Talitha Bennett
Disclosure: Guyuron reports he is the majority shareholder at Innovative Medical Equipment and receives royalties for books published by Elvsevier/Saunders. Please see the full study for the other researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.
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