Plastic and reconstructive surgery of the earlobe.

This paper addresses plastic and reconstructive surgery of the earlobe, a topic that has received little attention in the literature. We review treatment of the lobule in surgery of the aging face, reconstruction of partial and complete lobular defects of both congenital and acquired etiology, as well as the challenging problem of the earlobe keloid. A review of the literature and surgical techniques is provided. Representative cases are presented.