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Ear Lobe Rejuvenation Fat Grafting Technique
Hongyang Pi, BS
David E. Kurlander, MD
Bahman Guyuron, MD, FACS
Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
2016-01-29
Presenter: Hongyang Pi, BS
Affidavit:
I certify that the material proposed for presentation in this abstract has not been published in any scientific journal or previously presented at a major meeting. It is 100% original work of the authors.
Director Name: Hooman Soltanian
Author Category: Medical Student
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: Aesthetics
Background: The ear lobe demonstrates stereotypical signs of aging including wrinkles, elongation and deflation.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to review the outcome of the ear lobe rejuvenation technique with fat grafting developed by the senior author.
Methods: Here we describe in details about our ear lobe rejuvenation technique refined over 10 years that uses fat grafting to the ear lobe. Three raters assessed pre- and post-operative photos of 40 ear lobes in 20 patients from January 2004 to December 2014. Each ear lobe was evaluated for volume deficiency, number of deep creases, depth of creases, and number of fine wrinkles. The average and standard error were calculated for each assessment category. Inter-rater reliability was recorded. Ear lobe height, as a percentage of total ear height, was also measured. Results: Seventeen females and three males with average age of 63 were followed for an average of 26 months. No laser treatment was used on any of the patients. Post-operative improvements were observed in ear lobe volume deficiency, and number of fine wrinkles (p<0.05). Improvements were seen in number and depth of creases but these were not significant (p>0.05). There was an average 1.5% (0.94 mm) increase in ear lobe height, which is insubstantial and statistically insignificant (p =0.10). No complications relating to the ear lobe were observed in these patients.
Conclusion: Fat grafting can be an effective and long-term treatment for the aging ear lobe, especially in terms of improving delated and wrinkled ear lobes by volume augmentation.
