ABSTRACT
Ear piercing and wearing is associated with many adverse sequelae. The need for repair of the split ear lobe (also known as the cleft ear lobe) dates back to ancient Indian writing (1). Although related to few serious risks, ear piercing has a high complication rate (2). Haughie and Biggar (3) reported a 2% incidence of ear lobe tears in a questionnaire study of nearly 500 women. Cleft ear lobes are commonly acquired from prolonged traction of heavy earrings. Through decades of wear and tear the ear lobes of older women often present as incomplete clefts of elongated or deformed ear lobe canals (1,4,5). Split ear is less commonly due to pressure necrosis from clipon earrings (5) and acute and chronic trauma (1,25). Boo-Chai (1) and Niamtu (6) mention a congenital anomaly, known as coloboma lobuli, consisting of clefting of the ear lobe at birth.
