Ear Surgery

Many infants are born with larger than average ears. Their ears may lack some of the definition and folds that characterize a normal ear. As an infant grows, the ear abnormality becomes more noticeable. Though many plastic surgeons would like to correct ear deformities at a younger age, the ear has not developed sufficiently. If doctors intervene too soon, the abnormal ear will change too much after surgery, making results unpredictable. At six to seven years old, the ears achieve 80 percent of their growth. This is a special milestone for the children as they begin their education. Many people wait until adulthood to pursue surgical correction of their ears. The treatment is essentially the same regardless of the age of a patient. Based on the appearance of the abnormal ear, there are several treatment options available. Surgical procedures involve pinning back the ears with special sutures, sculpting the ear cartilage to give it the necessary detail and size or placing sutures within the cartilage to give it the grooves that characterize a normal ear. Doctors perform these procedures under light or full general anesthesia. Surgeons place a thin plastic drain inside the wound to collect any fluid oozing out. After surgery, doctors apply a special bandage the ear to maintain even pressure to minimizing the risk of additional oozing.

Q: When should a patient have plastic surgery? A: Cosmetic plastic surgery is an elective surgery meant to complement a lifestyle. It is therefore up to each individual to decide if the time is right to have a plastic surgery procedure to improve the appearance of one. As plastic surgery procedures become minimal in their approach and necessary recovery time, an increasing number of men and women have plastic surgery at a younger age. Some people believe that having a few small procedures to look great at a younger age is more advantageous than waiting until one is much older and having many larger surgeries that are more complicated. More Plastic Surgery Questions



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