Prominent Ear Correction Surgery

If you are considering ear correction surgery, for yourself or your child, there may be some questions you'd like answered. Ear surgery, or otoplasty, is usually done to set prominent ears back closer to the head or to reduce the size of large ears.

For the most part, the operation can be done on children between the ages of four and fourteen, though Laser & Cosmetic Surgery Centre treats patients of twelve years upwards. Prominent ear correction surgery on adults is also possible, and there are generally no additional risks associated with ear surgery on an older patient.

During your initial consultation, your surgeon will evaluate and assess the scope of correction required and recommend the most effective technique. Laser & Cosmetic Surgery Centre also see children over the age of twelve for corrective ear surgery. Your surgeon will give you specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery and advise you of any risks or complications during your consultation.

At Laser & Cosmetic Surgery Centre, we recommend that parents stay alert to their child's feelings about protruding ears and don't insist on the ear correction surgery until your child wants the change. Children who feel uncomfortable about their ears and want the ear correction surgery are generally more cooperative during the process and happier with the outcome.

Your surgeon will give you instructions to help you prepare yourself or your child for surgery. These may include guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, and taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications.

If you are having ear surgery yourself, while making preparations, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after your ear surgery and to help you out for a few days, if needed.

What takes place during the surgery?

With one of the more common techniques, the surgeon makes a small incision in the back of the ear to expose the ear cartilage. He or she will then sculpt the cartilage and bend it back toward the head. Non-removable stitches may be used to help maintain the new shape. Occasionally, the surgeon will remove a larger piece of cartilage to provide a more natural-looking fold when the surgery is complete.

Another technique involves a similar incision in the back of the ear. Skin is removed and stitches are used to fold the cartilage back on itself to reshape the ear without removing cartilage.

In most cases, ear surgery will leave a faint scar in the back of the ear that will fade with time. Even when only one ear appears to protrude, surgery is usually performed on both ears for a better balance.

Besides protruding ears, there are a variety of other ear problems that can be helped with surgery. These include: "lop ear," when the tip seems to fold down and forward; "cupped ear," which is usually a very small ear; and "shell ear," when the curve in the outer rim, as well as the natural folds and creases, are missing. Surgery can also improve large or stretched earlobes, or lobes with large creases and wrinkles. Surgeons can even build new ears for those who were born without them or who lost them through injury.

Sometimes, however, the ear correction surgery can leave a scar that's worse than the original problem. Ask your surgeon about the effectiveness of ear correction surgery for your specific case.

The patient's head will be wrapped in a bulky bandage immediately following surgery to promote the best molding and healing. The ears may throb or ache a little for a few days, but this can be relieved by medication.

Within a few days, bulky bandages will be replaced by a lighter head dressing. Be sure to follow your surgeon's directions for wearing this dressing, especially at night. Non-dissolvable stitches are usually removed in about a week. Dissolvable stitches usually disappear within six weeks.

Any activity in which the ear might be bent should be avoided for a month or so. Most adults can go back to work about five days after surgery. Children can go back to school after seven days or so, if they're careful about playground activity. You may want to ask your child's teacher to keep an eye on the child for a few weeks.

Ear surgery complications are infrequent and usually minor. However, as with any operation, there are certain risks and complications associated with surgery and specific complications associated with this ear correction procedure.

A small percentage of patients may develop a blood clot on the ear. This may dissolve naturally or can be drawn out with a needle.

Occasionally, patients develop an infection in the cartilage, which can cause scar tissue to form. Such infections are usually treated with antibiotics and, rarely, surgery may be required to drain the infected area.