Ear Reshaping: Short Procedure, Permanent Results

Ear reshaping, also known as otoplasty, is one of the oldest cosmetic techniques in existence today. Like rhinoplasty, it was first used in ancient India for reconstructive purposes. The Vedic surgeon Sushruta not only performed the technique, but described how it was done in his text Sushruta Samhita.

However, cosmetic ear surgery was not invented until 1845, when the attempts to correct over-prominent ears. However, the procedure was not described in medical texts until 1881. In this case, a wedge of cartilage and skin were removed from the back of the conchal bowl to reduce the prominence of the ears. The main difficulty with this technique was the long healing time and the scarring that resulted, so the technique was constantly revised. Often, otoplasty patients had wrinkling or sharp extrusions of cartilage. By the 1940s, doctors realized that cartilage did not have to be removed in order to successfully reshape the ear. Instead, it could be merely shaved, and nowadays even more cartilage-conserving techniques are used that keep the ear’s natural shape while moving it closer to the head.

Cosmetic Surgery for Children

Otoplasty is the only cosmetic surgery that is regularly performed on children. This is partly because the ear reaches maturity very early in life. Fully formed at birth, the ear reaches 85 % of adult size by age 3 and normally reaches adult size by age 6. This makes ear operations safer at a much younger age than, say, breast augmentation, which should probably be avoided until at least a patient’s 20s. Because the ear reaches full size at a young age, malformities of the ear are highly visible in young children, and often lead to teasing and bullying that is very detrimental to the self-esteem of afflicted children, a detriment that can lead to life-long social difficulties.

The Otoplasty Procedure

With the patient under local or general anesthesia, a short (2.5-2.7 cm) incision is made behind the ear. The cartilage of the ear is undermined, making it easier to reshape. Then the ear is rotated forward, exposing the hillocks of cartilage that support the ear, and these are shaved to the desired shape. Then the ear is set back and bound in its new position using permanent sutures. Then the Mustarde technique is used to reshape the ear so it appears natural. Dissolving sutures are used to hold the ear in place until it heals into its new shape. The whole procedure takes about an hour for both ears.

Recovery

There should be little pain relating to the otoplasty procedure. You will wear dressing on your ears for 4-5 days, and you will wear a headband overnight for four weeks to protect your ears while you sleep. There are few regular complications associated with the technique, and infections and severe scarring are rare. A small number (2-3 %) of patients require a second operation achieve full cosmetic correction.

The results of your otoplasty will be a better appearance for your ears. Overprominence and lop-ear will both be corrected, and you will feel much less self-conscious about your appearance. Your results are permanent and will never need revision or touch-up.