As mentioned, slight asymmetries even in ears that are sticking out a lot are hard to correct 100% with certainty. We always strive to achieve symmetrical results, but absolute symmetry is an elusive goal. In our consent forms, we always stipulate, “The two sides of the body are not the same and can never be made the same.” Also, most individuals do not notice slight asymmetries only you do when you are closely examining your face in the mirror.

Yes. Although one ear protruding outward is less common, we can adjust one ear when it is sticking out too far. However, slight asymmetries are almost impossible to correct with certainty.

The earliest age that we will entertain otoplasty is generally 6 years of age for several reasons. First the ear has reached almost the adult size by this age so that its growth will not generally be hindered by the surgery. Second, most children do not handle any kind of procedure well before this age and also may unknowingly damage their ears afterward by playing with them when they should not be .

For the night of the procedure, you will wear a larger conforming bandage that we will remove the following morning in the office. In about 20% of the time the ears may appear bruised and swollen for several days. However, most patients look almost normal even the day following the procedure. As the ears were much larger to begin with, they oftentimes already look significantly better and even with individuals who wear short hair, the ears do not look that abnormal the following day in most cases.For the entire week following the procedure, we ask that you purchase a light athletic headband that loosely fits over the ears and across the forehead that you must wear 24 hours a day for 7 days. Obviously, you can remove it for a short while if you should desire. That same headband must be worn at night for an additional 5 weeks. You may return to a light exercise regimen after a week so long as you wear the headband during your exercise to minimize the risk of injury to the ears. More contact-oriented sports should be avoided for a minimum of 3 months. Although most individuals can return to work or school even the following day, most individuals take several days to a full week off from work to rest and to permit most of the swelling to subside. That decision will be entirely up to your preference .

The procedure is absolutely painless. We prefer to use general anesthesia.On the night of your procedure, you may feel a mild burning sensation and some soreness in your ears that can be largely alleviated with a prescription medication. To make your experience more comfortable, we use a long-acting anesthetic around your ears so you feel very little of this discomfort. By the following morning and thereafter, you will typically have no discomfort at all.

to perform otoplasty , we perform all of our incisions on the backside of the ear so that incision lines are virtually undetectable even with close inspection.

The most common deformity of the ears is known as lop ear deformity in which a bend in the cartilage known as the antihelical fold is absent. There are many ways to recreate the fold: cutting out cartilage, suturing the cartilage, and/or scoring and softening the cartilage. We believe that cutting all the way through the cartilage can lead to visible cut edges over a period of 1 to 2 years and is not an ideal way to perform otoplasty. Instead ,we use a combination of methods, both scoring and softening the backside of the cartilage to permit the cartilage to easily bend and to break the recoil of the cartilage along with suture modification to keep the recontoured cartilage in position. This combination method has permitted the optimal and permanent results for our patients. Another type of deformity known as a cup ear deformity can also exist with a lop ear deformity or in isolation. A cup ear deformity is characterized by an excessive curvature of the area near the ear canal known as the conchal bowl. When the conchal bowl is overgrown, the ear protrudes out. For mild to moderate cup ear deformities we can reposition the concha without need for cartilage removal. However, in excessive cases, some conchal reduction is necessary. Unlike cartilage cutting techniques for the lop ear deformity where you may create a visible contour deformity, removing some cartilage in the conchal bowl is oftentimes very well tolerated. A personal evaluation and examination will help decide which method or combination of methods would be most suitable in your situation.