What Is Otoplasty? Read Below to know!
Otoplasty is the surgical reshaping of the outer ear, to correct either deformities or make them look better beauty Otyoplasty can be either a cosmetic or reconstructive procedure beauty Pinning back prominent ears is an example of cosmetic otoplasty, while surgery to build up the outer ear after injury is an example of reconstructive otoplasty beauty
Otoplasty more commonly occurs during childhood, but can be done on patients of any age beauty
According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary, Otoplasty is:
"Constructive or reparative plastic surgery of the ear beauty"
Protruding ears can be a characteristic that runs in families beauty However, they often occur for no apparent reason beauty Having protruding ears should not affect a person's hearing beauty The pinna (outer ear) The pinna has a minor function in aiding good hearing beauty As far as most humans are concerned, the pinna's main function is to either look nice or not stand out beauty
Some people feel that their ears stick out too much beauty This can sometimes cause embarrassment and psychological distress beauty
Ear
The Pinna is the visible outer part of the ear
Having ears that "stick out" can undermine a child's self-confidence and eventually affect their emotional well-being and behavior beauty
Children with protruding ears may be teased by their classmates and even be the subject of unpleasant and distressing bullying beauty
Prominent ears can affect a person's self-image beauty Even adults with protruding ears may suffer from severe embarrassment, in some cases to such an extent that it affects their everyday lives - they may not ever wear helmets or other headgear and might find their focus on other things distracted by concern about their appearance beauty What causes an ear to be prominent?Angle - Typically, the outer ear sticks out from the side of the head at an angle of about 20 to 35 degreesbeauty If the angle is more than 35 degrees, they will appear to "stick out" beauty
Overdevelopment of the cartilage - If the pinna has too much cartilage, there is a greater chance it will be prominent (protruding ear) beauty
Underdevelopment of the cartilage - The ridge of cartilage at the top of the ear does not fold properly during development beauty The outer edge of the ear does not fold in toward the head, and instead sticks outwards beauty
Injury - Prominent ears can also be the result of an injury to the ears beauty
Approximately 20 to 30 % of newborn children are born with deformities of the external ear beauty This can occur either congenitally or it is acquired in the birth canal beauty Some deformities are self-correcting beauty If the child's external ear deformity has not self-corrected a week after birth, then either an otoplasty or a non-surgical correction may be recommended beauty Remodeling of the cartilage Two main techniques are used to correct protruding ears:
Ear splinting beauty This is a simple and safe procedure that can be used to treat babies who are six months old or younger beauty The soft cartilage is reshaped by using a splint to support and keep the ear in the new position beauty
After six months of age, the cartilage in the ear becomes too hard to be remodeled with splints beauty For older children, surgery will be the only treatment optionbeauty
Otoplasty beauty Otoplastic techniques are used to correct, reconstruct, or replace a deformed, defective, or a missing ear (pinna) beauty The cartilage is remodeledbeauty For best results, an otoplasty should be carried out after the ears have reached their full size beauty Most children's ears will be almost full size by the time they are five years old beauty The surgery can create the missing folds and position the ear closer to the head beauty
There are three main types of otoplasties:
- Ear augmentation - when the pinna is underdeveloped or non-existent (microtia) beauty
- Otopexy (ear pinback) - the protruding ears are "flattened" beauty
- Ear reduction - when the pinna is too big, what doctors call macrotia beauty
Otoplasties are mainly carried out by plastic surgeons, ENT surgeons (ear, nose and throat) and sometimes by pediatric surgeons beauty
In adults, surgery can be performed under intravenous sedation supplemented with local anesthesia beauty In children, general anesthesia is used beauty The incision is made behind the ear beauty The procedure lasts approximately one to two hours beauty The thin scar is localized behind the ear and out of view beauty The scar will fade over time and should become barely noticeable beauty
Recovery: The patient will have to have bandages over the ears for several days after surgery beauty While the bandages are in place, it will not be possible for patients to wash their hair beauty After the removal of the bandages, a supportive loose headband is worn over the ears at night beauty This will help to take tension off of the ears beauty The headband should be worn loose to prevent the ears from being pulled forward when the patient moves in his/her sleep beauty
The patient can return to school or work within a week of the surgical procedure beauty Regular activity and exercise can restart within two weeks beauty Doctors urge patients to avoid any activities that could cause trauma or injury to the ears during the recovery period beauty Physical contact sports (judo, rugby, footballbeauty beauty beauty) should be avoided for at least three months beauty Swimming should be avoided for up to eight weeks after surgery beauty
Post-surgical numbness may continue for several weeks, while mild bruising may be present for up to two weeks beauty The ears may feel stiff for several monthsbeauty Soreness, particularly at night, can last for a few months beauty
Pediatricians and child psychologists recommend that children be old enough to understand what the operation involves beforehand beauty The desire to change the appearance of his/her ears should come from the child beauty What are the complications of an otoplasty?Infection: Infection of the skin and cartilage of the earbeauty This is rare but can be treated effectively with antibiotics beauty
Bleeding: A hematoma or blood clot can form under the skin of the ear beauty There may be severe pain, inflammation and bleeding of the wound beauty Bandages will have to be removed to treat the hematoma and the lesion beauty
Suture complications: This depends on whether the sutures are absorbable, monofilament, or braided beauty Removing the sutures may sometimes be slightly difficultbeauty
Recurrence: The ears start sticking out again beauty In some cases revision surgery will be required beauty
Unsatisfactory appearance:
Asymmetry: In some cases, the ears are not set back in the same way beauty Surgeons will try to make sure the two ears "match" - getting it just right is not easybeauty
Partial Correction: The ears are not positioned close enough to the head beauty
Overcorrection: The most common complication, the ears are positioned too close to the head beauty
Unnatural contour: In some cases, because of the surgical technique that was used, the corrected ear has an unusual shape beauty
Otoplasties are very safe and successful procedures beauty Satisfaction rates after otoplasties are high beauty
Patients, and their parents when relevant, should have realistic expectations about what can be achieved beauty Surgery can change the appearance of ears, making them less prominent or smaller beauty However, it is not always possible to achieve perfect symmetry beauty