Facial procedures (General Information)

Ear Surgery (Otoplasty)

Technical name: Otoplasty
Body Parts: Ears
Recommended Age: Usually between four and 14, but can also be done on adults. 
Anesthesia: General or local, depending on the patient's age.
Surgery time: On average, 2-3 hours
Clinic stay: Usually no need to stay in hospital
Scar: In the back of the ear
Post-operative: Bandage protecting the scar for a few days and later, a head dressing.  
Recuperation period: About 8-14 days.

Who is best for Ear Surgery (Otoplasty)?

Otoplasty is a cosmetic surgery procedure to correct protruding ears. Ear surgery works by setting prominent ears back closer to the head or reducing the size of large ears.
There are a variety of other problems that can also be helped with surgery:

• Lop Ear: when the tip seems to fold down an forward
• Cupped Ear: very small Ear
• Shell Ear:  when the curve in the outer rim, as well as the natural folds and creases, are missing
• Large or stretched earlobes
• Lobes with large creases and wrinkle
• People who lost the ears through injury or were born without them

For Ear reconstruction, cartilage from the patient's other ear, from the ribs or prosthetic material may be used, depending on the extent of the problem.
Most part of ear surgeries is done in children between four and fourteen. By the age of four, the ears are fully developed. As sooner it will be corrected for children, as better it will be for them. However, it also can be done in adults. The procedure has much success with men, because they usually wear their hair short, which leaves the ears visible.
It is important to consider the desire of the child. If the child doesn't want to change its ears, you should not insist. If they have decided for the surgery by themselves, they are usually more cooperative during the process and happier with the results.

Expected Results for Ear Surgery

Patients are usually happy with the results of Ear Surgery. However, it is important to remember that the point is to improve, do not expect perfection. You should not expect that both ears will look exactly the same. Perfect symmetry would be unnatural. That's why you should talk to your surgeon and share with him all your expectations about the procedure.

Recovery from Ear Surgery

People are usually ready for a normal life just a few hours after ear surgery. However, you may prefer to stay overnight in the hospital, especially if the patient is a child.
Right after ear surgery, the head will be covered with a bulky bandage, for a better molding and healing. You may feel your ears throb or ache in the first days, but it gets better with some medication. 
A few days later, the bandages will be replaced by a head dressing. It is important to follow your surgeon's instructions, especially about wearing the head dressing at night. About a week later, stitches are removed or dissolved.
Activities that might hurt your ears should be avoided at least in the first month after ear surgery. In case of adults, it is possible to go to back to work five days after surgery. Children can go back to school about a week after surgery, as long as they take care about playing with other kids or playing sports.
The complete recovery process usually takes between one to two weeks. The final result usually takes many months to be seen.

What else you should know about Ear Surgery

Just like any surgery procedure, there are some risks with ear surgery. It is important to ask your plastic surgeon everything you would like to know and share with him all your feelings and fears. However, complications are rare. If you have scar healing problems, the correction may leave a scar that is worse than the original problem. This is another reason for carefully speaking to the surgeon about your specific case, asking him everything you would like to know.

It is also extremely important to follow your physician's instructions, ensuring best results.