Otoplasty (Ear Correction surgery)
Cosmetic ear correction surgery is used to reshape ears, “pin back” protruding ears or reduce the size of ears if they are too large.
Prominent Ear correction is a fairly common procedure and is used to “pin back” the ears so that they rest closer to the head.
What does the procedure involve?
A specialist surgeon will make an incision behind the ear and begin to reshape the ear cartilage into a more natural and attractive shape, pinning back or reducing the size of the ears, whichever may be the case.
As the scar is very faint and in the crease between your head and ear, if a person has short hair or likes to wear their hair pulled back, it poses no problem as the scar is barely noticeable.
The procedure is usually carried out under local anaesthesia for adults and general anaesthesia for children.
Postoperative procedure
The bandage placed around the patient’s head immediately following surgery should be worn for 24 hours. After that it is possible to use a lighter dressing, an elastic head band, which should keep the ears covered during the whole of the first week and the following week it needs to be worn only when sleeping.
The stitches are removed 5-7 days after surgery. The patient may resume their normal daily routing once the band has been removed, with the exception of physical exercise, which can be resumed three weeks after surgery. With regard to the scar, it is advisable to avoid exposure to sunlight during the whole of this period.
Ear surgery risks
In any surgical procedure, there are possible risks. Although most patients do not suffer these complications, it is important to be informed of them.
- Bruising: If there is any, it will be slight and will disappear naturally. Very occasionally, it can require surgical drainage.
- Infection: This is also exceptional as, in order to avoid infection, antibiotics are always prescribed after surgery. If infection were to occur, slight corrective surgery may be necessary.
- Recurrence: This refers to a separation of the ears after the operation. Should it occur, it is always less noticeable than before the procedure and usually occurs 4-6 weeks after surgery, when it can be corrected under local anaesthesia.
- Other problems: Occasionally, scars can become thickened and raised (hypertrophic scars), however, these cases are very exceptional.