If former President Donald Trump wants his ear to look the same again, he’ll need to shell out up to $10,000.
An assassination attempt over the weekend at a Pennsylvania rally left the Republican presidential nominee with a chunk of his right ear missing. The ear, partially shot off, was bandaged when Trump appeared Monday at the Republican National Convention. He disclosed that the bullet caused him to lose part of the top third of his ear, as it “pierced” and “ripped through” his skin.
Dr. Dennis Dass, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, stated that Trump would need surgery to repair the damaged ear, a procedure that could be “complex” depending on the injury’s extent. Dr. Dass told DailyMail.com: “An ear reconstruction is typically a complex procedure depending on the size and location of the defect. But the upper third of the ear, that is actually one of the easier areas to reconstruct.”
Immediately after the attack, Trump’s ear was wrapped in bandages to control the “off and on” bleeding. These bandages are expected to stay on for a few days. Doctors believe he may have also received antiseptic to prevent bacterial infection.
Dr. Dass mentioned that unless Trump wants to keep the injury as a symbol, he would likely need a reconstructive surgery called a helical advancement flap, costing up to $10,000 and taking one to two hours to complete. In this procedure, if the missing part of the ear cannot be reattached, surgeons first remove any damaged area and scar tissue. They then make an incision along the inside rim of the ear to loosen the skin, allowing them to “rotate” neighboring healthy tissue—cartilage and skin—over the wounded area to restore the ear’s normal shape and appearance.
Stitches are used to hold the stretched skin in place for about a week, with the ear making a full recovery within six weeks. This healing process should not impact Trump’s campaigning. Dr. Dass said the surgery might leave a “small mark,” but it would be minor compared to the initial damage.
The surgery is typically performed under local anesthetic, keeping the patient awake while numbing the area around the ear. The Trump camp has not revealed if the former president plans to undergo any procedure.
Dr. Dass, who runs his own clinic, added: “I am hoping for his sake that it is a rather small injury and the reconstruction can be pretty simple. It is a very unfortunate situation that he has been in, and it was simply horrifying. I wish President Trump well, and hopefully we can get a beautiful cosmetic result for his ear.”
If the damage is more extensive, Trump may need more invasive surgeries, such as a wedge closure surgery, where a triangle is cut out of the ear, including the damaged area, before being sutured together. Another option is a local skin flap surgery, where the skin around the ear is loosened and then shifted to cover the damaged area.
The damage to the outside of Trump’s ear is not expected to affect his hearing, although the bullet whistling past it may have caused some impact. Trump has not commented on whether he suffered any hearing loss.
Dr. Dass has not treated patients with a bullet injury to the ear before, as such injuries often involve gunshots to the head. He has, however, performed ear reconstructions following cancer treatments, where a cancerous area is removed from the ear, and injuries from piercings being ripped out.
