Jughead. Dumbo. Mr. Spock. For people with disproportionately large, uneven, protruding or unusually-shaped ears, these words do not bring to mind beloved fictional characters. They are instead badges of shame, weapon-words hurled by others to inflict pain. The ridicule those with unsightly ears face is often the source of serious psychological damage, and can have significant and lifelong effects.

Surgery offers hope for those with protruding, misshapen, or otherwise unsightly ears. Otoplasty – also known as ear pinning – can correct these aesthetic imperfections.

Otoplasty is not for everyone with large ears, but many people with disproportionate or misshapen ears are eligible. Specific ear conditions amenable to otoplasty include:

Shell ears: ears with no ear folds, creases or ordinary curves

Lop ears: Ears with drooping or forward-folding tips, similar to those of a lop-eared rabbit

Cupped ears: ears that appear to be too small

Protruding ears: ears that stick straight out from the side of the head

Unlike most forms of plastic surgery, otoplasty is usually performed on children – often children as young as four.  Not only is this anatomically an optimal time for ear surgery (the ears are essentially fully-formed at age four), but having the surgery done at this age enables the child to completely avoid the taunting of his or her fellow children in a preschool or school setting.

Ear pinning surgery is one of the more involved corrective procedures. Although usually performed on an outpatient basis, the surgery itself can take three hours or more, and the patient is usually sedated throughout. A local anesthetic is applied for older patients; for young children, general anesthesia is usually considered the best option. Due to the complex shape and involved anatomy of the ear, reconstructive otoplasty requires considerable surgical skill, as cartilage is removed, reshaped, and reattached using sutures.

Recovery is a matter of some weeks. A large bandage completely wrapping around the head is applied after surgery is complete, both to absorb blood from the wounds and to immobilize the healing ears relative to the head. Pain is likely to be moderate and of several days duration, but is usually treatable with typical OTC pain relievers. Non-absorptive stitches are removed at about seven days post-surgery, after which the patient can resume normal activities. Care must be taken to protect the ears from physical pressure for some time after the operation; scarring, however, is likely to be minimal.

In most cases of disproportionate or unsightly ears, the deformation is neither life-threatening nor detrimental to ear function; consideration must therefore be given to the option of leaving the patients’ ears as they are. Also, since most candidates for otoplasty are minor children, parents or guardians must factor in the possible physical and psychological stress surgery can place upon young children before deciding upon surgical treatment. In any case, the counsel of a board-certified plastic surgeon is vital in making a decision regarding ear pinning surgery.