In Defense of the Lobe

WOMEN’S WORLD

So, okay, after years of wearing those long, dangling earrings — that I am sure definitely added pizazz and flair to my style — my right earlobe finally gave out and tore recently, leaving a slash in my ear where there used to be a hole to insert my studs.

Not one to wait around in such dire circumstances, I immediately called my close friend and physician Ignacio Lugo Beltrán — who happens to be the head of reconstructive surgery at the Centro Médico Nacional 20 de Noviembre and one of the most renowned plastic surgeons in Mexico — and he graciously agreed to resolve my earlobe cataclysm with a 20-minute surgical procedure in his office that very afternoon.

After anesthetizing my earlobes (that’s plural, because he decided to go ahead and reclose both my ear openings since the left side was already beginning to stretch out of shape), he proceeded to trim the skin for where that earring was placed previously and stitch those edges back together so that the tear (and almost-tear) virtually disappeared.

Lugo Beltrán even made new piercings in my lobes at a slightly different site and left tiny threads to hold them open until my next visit two weeks later, when he removed the stitches.

He told me I should wait on wearing earrings for at least six weeks, and then, steer clear of heavy hoops and pendants (yeah, like that’s going to happen).

As it turns out, I am not the only person that Lugo Beltrán has treated for broken earlobes.

He said it is a common problem for women, especially in Mexico where the longer and more dangly the earring, the better.

So common, in fact, that according to a recent study on body piercing, about 35 percent of Mexican women with pierced ears suffer one or more complications and 3.5 percent suffer lobe tearing.

Torn earlobes can occur slowly, as a result of years of wearing heavy, dangling earrings (as in my case), or abruptly, from the trauma of a hairbrush or clothing caught in an earring or a baby grabbing the sparkling jewelry.

The general rule is that the heavier the earring, the more likely it is to harm the lobe.

(There are tiny little plastic protectors for the ears available that can be worn on the back of the lobe to protect against overweight earrings. I ordered some on the internet and am now using them sort of faithfully.)

Fortunately, repair of the deformity is usually relatively simple and inexpensive (prices start at about 3,000 pesos for one lobe or 5,000 for both).

Most health insurances will not cover the cost, but, hey, who wants to run around with a broken earlobe?

As for me, I am now slowly recovering from my lobe catastrophe and taking baby steps from tiny studs back to larger earrings.

After this experience, I may end up permanently leaving my biggest dangling gems in the jewelry box.

But then again, maybe not.

After all, there is a certain allure to big, brassy drop jewels from the lobulus auriculae, and, well, who can resist a pair of Daniel Espinosa swaying black pearl globules on an earlobe?

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Revlon Hair Tools has introduced a brand new weapon in its arsenal of haircare gear, the Salon Straight ceramic tourmaline flat iron with 30-percent longer floating plates to cover more area in less time, thus reducing the potential damage to tresses from heat treatment. The dual voltage straightener (great for international travel) also has an adjustable temperature setting (from 235 degrees to 455 degrees), a 10-second heat-up and an automatic shutoff (just in case you forget to turn it off). The one-inch wide blades grasp hair and slide over locks to reduce frizz and add shine in a single stroke. And the easy-twirl cable makes getting a salon-worthy coiffure a lot less complicated.

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Skin Defense
Uriage, the exclusive pharmacosmetic skincare and beauty cream company that has harnessed the deep-healing powers of thermal water from the French Alps, has released Xémose, a lipid-replenishing, anti-irritation cream that is especially designed for ultra-sensitive and very dry skin. This all-purpose face and body cream is both fragrance-free and hypoallergenic, so it is suitable for males and females of all ages. The non-greasy, quick-absorbing Xémose cream is enriched with Uriage thermal water to help nourish, protect and sooth itching and irritated skin. The product contains three patented complexes to leave skin soft and supple. It is available in dermatologic and specialized pharmacies throughout Mexico, and there is an accompanying hand cream that is equally soothing for irritated skin.

THE NEWS