A torn or split earlobe is a common injury where ear piercing holes split downwards, sometimes leaving the bottom of the earlobe split in two. This is a visible cosmetic deformity that is not often easily hidden, particularly if the person in question has short hair. It can cause considerable distress and have an adverse impact on a person’s mental health and self-confidence. Wearing heavy earrings over a long period of time is the most common cause of a split earlobe.
Torn earlobes can also be caused by a sudden, forceful pulling of the earring. A child or pet grabbing an earring can cause this tearing. Sometimes larger earrings can get caught on clothing and the result can be an earlobe tear.
Earlobe expansion is when the pierced hole has been slowly dilated using progressively larger earrings. Once the hole reaches a certain size, it will not contract back to its original size. As a rule of thumb, a skin tunnel measuring 10mm or more in diametre will not go back to its original size. From this point, only surgery will help to correct the problem.
This type of expansion is a long-established tribal practice but this form of body modification  has enjoyed an increase in popularity in the West over the past decade. It is common for people who may have used earlobe expanders ten years ago to have changed their minds and seek surgery to return their earlobes back to a more natural size and shape. It is very difficult to hide stretched earlobes, particularly if you do not have long hair which can easily conceal the problem.
As well as being an aesthetic issue, stretched ear lobes can also cause physical pain and what is known as an ‘ear blow out’. This occurs when the skin inside the earlobe is forced out through the rear of the piercing.
It is also worth noting that you don’t have to have pierced ears to suffer a torn or split earlobe. Clip-on earrings which are too tight have been known to restrict blood flow to the earlobe, leading to necrosis (tissue death), causing a split earlobe. Congenital deformities can also be responsible for split earlobes. This includes rare cases of congenital cleft earlobes or cleft ear (pinna).