Otoplasty (Ear Correction)

Do you ever look in the mirror and think about having ears that don’t stick out? Do you ever push them back onto your head to hold them in a new, less prominent position? Being unhappy with certain aspects of our body can lead to psychological upset, but it can be especially hard when we are unhappy with a facial element, as they are very hard to hide. This can lead to poor self-confidence and a severe lack of self-esteem.

If it is your ears that you’re unhappy with, then ear correction surgery could be one option. It can help to permanently change the position or shape of your ears, giving you more self-confidence. Ear correction surgery can do a number of things:

• Reduce the size of your ears, making them more proportionate to your face
• Pin your ears back so they are less prominent
• Reshape the ears if they have been damaged in an injury, for example
• Reconstruct misshapen or deformed ears

Otoplasty and Pinnaplasty are cosmetic operations that change the shape and size of the patient’s ears. They are some of the most common – and oldest – cosmetic procedures available and are very effective, giving the majority of patients their self-confidence back. After the surgery, patients no longer feel like they have to hide their ears and can wear jewellery that draws attention to them unashamedly.

What does it involve?

You will be talked through every step of the process by your dedicated expert ear consultant before the procedure. This way you will know exactly what your operation will entail. Any problems will be covered and you will be told the best ways for you to get the final result you want.

The surgery itself will be undertaken with you under either general or local anaesthetic. The surgeon will need to make a fine incision in the ear fold (where your ear joins your head); from here, any cartilage or skin that needs to be changed will be removed or re-shaped, and then small stitches will be used to hold the ear in place.

How long is recovery?

Recovery from otoplasty or pinnaplasty procedures is generally only a couple of weeks. You will need to wear bandages for this initial fortnight after the surgery, but then you will be able to resume work as normal. The bandages help to keep the ears in their new position and will aid in the healing process. Sporting activities will need to be left until 6 months after the operation.

Will there be scars?

There will be a scar where the surgeon made the incision, but as this is made behind the ear the scar itself will not be visible. Over time scars heal to become the same colour as your normal skin tone but Bio-oil or vitamin E oil can help speed this process along.