COSMETIC EAR SURGERY

 

Innate deformations manifest in an irregular shape or position of the auricles (protruding, deformed or low ears). Protruding ears are the most common imperfection. Protruding ears are the most common deformation which can be present on only one or on both ears, and according to the intensity; it can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.
 
Parents often wonder about the most appropriate age for a child to have otoplasty. Most surgeons agree that otoplasty should be performed at the early age, right before a child starts school. This is a very practical approach to the problem because, on one hand, deformation of the auricle has completely developed and the auricle itself has completed its growth while, on the other hand, the child comes to a new social environment without any obvious abnormality. The fact that protruding ears can be surgically corrected as early as at preschool age is very favorable for children, because it gives them the opportunity to remove this prominent deformation which might become the starting point for the development of undesirable complex during school age.
 
Because of their frankness, straight forwardness and a tendency to tease, children can often appear very cruel. You can often hear of a child being given a nickname like Dumbo the Elephant, Jug Ears or Propeller due to his/her floppy ears. A sensitive child, at this age, will easily develop a negative physiological complex. The fact that so many adults come to have their physical imperfections corrected when they are older, because their parents did not make it possible for them to do so when they were children, proves that the complex really exists.
 
Adult patients coming for the otoplasty are mostly younger people. After the successful procedure, they often have a new hairstyle, so this new, nice form of their ears is finally noticeable. Young men can finally have very short haircuts, while young women can finally wear a ponytail, or other similar hairstyles, as they don’t need to cover the ears with their hair any more.
 
Cosmetic ear correction surgery successfully and permanently deals with prominent or deformed ears. The procedure is painless for the patient. We perform this procedure under local anesthetic, and if performed on young children, it can be done under general anesthesia.
 
The operation lasts for an hour. Before the operation, we take very precise measurements and draw the lines of correction on the auricle. The incision is made behind the ear, on the back side. During the surgery, beside the skin tailoring, we also form new shape of the auricle and ears. As the main incision is behind the ear, the scars will not be noticeable. The complications related to otoplasty are indeed rare, and they can manifest as a haematoma, thicker scar or secondary infection.
 
After the operation, the ears are fixed in the desired position. The patient wears a bandage around the head for seven days, when we remove the stitches. For the first month or two following the operation, the patient should avoid all kinds of sports and activities that might damage the ears.