Dr. Deborah Ekstrom, Dr. Kenneth Aluora from Nairobi and Dr. Juris Bunkis all participate in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons meeting in Boston.
Drs Ekstrom and Bunkis were in Boston last week, participating in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons meeting. Dr. Bunkis was asked to moderate some panels and to judge some poster displays. As always, yes, some work was involved but we got to see old friends and colleagues, meet some new people, eat some fabulous meals, enjoy some old sights, visit with children and grandchildren and see some new sights.
In the game of dominoes, the pieces are laid end to end – each piece that is laid down determines the next move. In life as well, one activity makes another play out down the road. Dr. Bunkis moderated a number of papers presented by young surgeons from around the country on Thursday. Dr. Bunkis’ co-moderator was Dr. Kenneth Aluora from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, a young plastic surgeon at the Kenyatta National Hospital. Pleasantries and business cards were exchanged…..and at the end of the session, more serious discussions took place. Dr. Aluora invited Dr. Bunkis and Dr. Ekstrom to visit him in Nairobi, to give some lectures and to operate with the residents there, and to have Dr. Ekstrom provide some trainings on behalf of her company, Money Loves Women. (And yes, we were invited to go on a safari as part of our trip). Dates are yet to be determined……but one connection just leads to another in life, creating a wondrous web of rich opportunities. You could call it serendipity, or as it is for us, a delightful game of dominoes.
Surgery Spotlight: how can a torn earlobe be repaired?
Above you can see before and after photos of an earlobe repair. On the left side, you can see how the area where the ear was pierced tore. After having an earlobe repair the photo on the right shows no tear to be seen!
A common issue for people with pierced ears is that eventually the piercing itself can enlarge or the lobe can tear. When the hole itself is too big it becomes difficult or even impossible to wear earrings. A torn earlobe can happen gradually with a slow stretching of the hole or acutely with traction or trauma. The good news is no matter the cause and size of the tear we can usually fix/restore the lobe to a functional state. The procedure is typically done in the office setting with just local anesthetic, and it can be completed in less than an hour. This procedure is minimally invasive, fast and patients go home immediately after the operation and can resume light activities. Most patients can resume work the following day or even the same day.
The procedure itself is always tailored to the individual and typically some ear lobe is remove in order to restore the shape and function. Depending on the situation the scar maybe be entirely within the earlobe or may extended to the border of your earlobe. In any case, incisions are closed with sutures, which are usually removed after one to two weeks. Removing damaged tissue makes enlarged, attenuated earlobes smaller and and more youthful. I ask my patients to wait several months before piercing them again.
Recovering from earlobe surgery includes some expected redness and swelling for a few days, followed by scar maturation which can take up to a year. Below is a link to an earlobe repair video performed at our office!
If you want to see if you can have any part of your body improved, contact us for a consultation:
For CA, please call 949-888-9700 or visit www.orangecountyplasticsurgery.com
Or for MA location, call 508-755-4825 or visit www.salisburyps.com
You can write to
Dr. Compoginis at Contact Us Form
Dr. Bunkis at Contact Us Form
or Dr. Ekstrom at mds@salisburyps.com
