Dr. Davidson's Homepage

Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

About the Author

Aging Face Surgery

Anesthesia

Blepharoplasty

Chemical Peel

Chin Augmentation

Complications

Evaluation for Facial Plastic Surgery

Facelift

Forehead Lift

General Instructions to Patients

Hair Replacement

Healing

Liposuction

Otoplasty

Rhinoplasty

Risks with Facial Plastic Surgery

Scalpels, LASERs and Endoscopes

Scar Revision

Skin Cancer

Submental Lipectomy

The Cost

Who Does Facial Plastic Surgery?

Why the University?

Otoplasty

Otoplasty is the operation that changes the external appearance of the ears. This is most commonly done for what is known as protruding ears. When the ears seem large and stick out from the side of the head, they can be pushed back to lie closer to the head, and therefore not protrude. Most commonly, this surgery is performed in children. Most parents notice that their children's ears protrude very early, and will often seek consultation at the age of one and a half or two years. As a rule, the older the child is and the bigger the child is, the safer the surgery and the easier it is to perform. Around the age of four or five, just before the child enters school, is a safe time. It is a time when the child also desires to have the surgery, and it is a time that the child and the ears are big enough that the surgery is easily performed, and will produce a permanenet result. For children in their preschool years, it is necessary to do this under general anesthesia, and very often the insurance company will pay for this under the clause that this is a congenital deformity. If the child is between eight and twelve years old, the surgery can often be performed under local anesthesia and certainly for young adults, the surgery is most commonly performed under local anesthesia.

Following surgery, there will be a great big dressing around both ears. The dressing is removed at four or five days and can either be replaced with a second dressing or with a headband. You can purchase a headband from most sports stores. They are often used for skiing to keep the ears warm. It is simply an elastic band that fits around the head in such a way that it holds the ears flat against the head. Ideally, this will be worn for an additional week, after which no dressing is needed. For most ears, the only incision is behind the ear and this heals into the crease between the ear and the scalp and normally forms an inconspicuous scar.

The above photos show a boy before and after an otoplasty.