Prominent Ear Surgery

A Prominent Ear Setback (Otoplasty or Pinnaplasty) operation is a bespoke operation that sets your ears back into a position you are happy with.

In children the experience is current as they are enduring the teasing and bullying at school that is driving them to have the operation.

In adults it is often the memories of these same childhood experiences that makes them seek "closure" of the situation by having their prominent ears set back.

Otoplasty:

Otoplasty or pinnaplasty is a procedure carried out to reduce the prominence of one or both ears. The objective of the surgery is to modify the shape of the cartilage of the ear in such a way that the ear will lie in the more natural position and stick out less.

Who benefits:

Patients who attend requesting this type of surgery are generally conscious of the appearance of their ears because they stick out too much. They may be even more aware of it because of teasing, which in children is a current problem, but in adults is often a distant but disturbing memory.

Children often described continuous teasing, and being called names such as Dumbo, big ears, wing nut, and many others. This may become so distressing that the children are reluctant to go to school. After the surgery, their confidence is restored, the teasing stops and they can once again enjoy their childhood.

Although the ears can sometimes be reshaped by splinting in the first few months of life, after that, surgery to reshape the ears is the only option.

I have refined a surgical technique that has been presented at international meetings and been published in peer reviewed journals.

This technique has been used on all my patients in the last ten years with good results. The modified ear is set back and looks natural and does not look operated on.

If done under Local Anaesthetic you will be able to check the appearance of your ears during the procedure and confirm you are happy with the way they look.

Children, what age?

Children are sometimes brought to see me at a very young age by their parents who wish to have their child's ears set back before teasing can start. The problem is that the children at this age are often unaware there is anything wrong with their ears. An admission to hospital and operation can be a very frightening experience for the child. Ironically, if the child has been teased they will often be motivated to have something done and are much calmer about their operation. Another consideration is the fact that not all children are susceptible to teasing and they would have an unnecessary operation. Sometimes the young cartilage is too soft to reshape. It is best to make an appointment and come in and see me so we can discuss things after I have examined the child.

What is involved in the surgery

This operation can be done under a local anaesthetic. It is a "walk in, walkout" procedure. It takes 45 minutes to one hour to do. You will have a small dressing on each ear, not the great turban bandage wrapped around your head that you may have seen on TV.

It can also be done under a General Anaesthetic if you do not feel you can cope under Local Anaesthetic.

This will be discussed when we meet.