EAR “PINNING” (OTOPLASTY)

Otoplasty is commonly referred to as “ear pinning. This is a surgery to change the shape of the cartilage of the ears so that the ears are less prominent. Ears are quite variable in shape and size but rarely attract attention. However oversized, distorted or protruding ears can distract from facial appearance. Children in particular are susceptible to this problem and are often teased and called “Dumbo” or other derogatory terms. Ear surgery is commonly performed during childhood. The surgery can easily be performed with local anesthesia, but with children under 7 years of age a general anesthetic may be required. An incision is made behind the ear and the antihelix cartilage is repositioned with incisions and suturing.

The causes of prominent ear

There are 2 major cause of ear prominence:

• Absence of the antihelical fold and
• The ear may be lacking a fold in the upper third. This natural fold is called the antihelix.

What to expect after surgery:

• A head wrap of cotton gauze is worn for one week.
• Pain is mild to moderate for a few days and is treated with Tylenol or Codeine
• Infection and other complications are rare and antibiotics are rarely needed.
• Skin sutures are removed after one week but the deep sutures in the cartilage are permanent.
• Normal activities can be resumed except for wrestling or other direct ear trauma.
• For one month afterward, a head band is worn at night while sleeping to protect the ears from inadvertent malposition.
• Sometimes the permanent sutures behind the ear can be felt as small bumps
• Some slight recurrence of the ear prominence can occur
• Exact symmetry of the 2 sides is desirable but not absolutely necessary