Otoplasty - Ear Reshaping Surgery
Few surgical procedures are as gratifying as otoplasty, or ear reshaping surgery, also called ear-pinning.
Around age five or six, children become aware of their prominent ears, and are typically teased at school by their peers, subjected to nicknames such as "dumbo" or "mickey mouse.
" Otoplasty is almost always successful in correcting this deformity, and has a positive impact on children as well as parents! The effects of ear reshaping surgery on a child's self image are generally immediate.
For this reason, is it best to perfrom the surgery early, around age five or six, before the child becomes overly aware and self-conscious, possibly suffering long term self-esteem impact.
Another benefit to early surgery is increased pliability of the cartilages, generally allowing a very smooth contour to the ears.
In many cases, adult patients seek otoplasty surgery.
In such cases, ear pinning is often combined with other facial plastic surgery procedures in our San Diego practice, such as rhinoplasty or face lift surgery.
One benefit to performing ear reshaping surgery in adults is that the procedure is easily tolerated with only oral sedation or mild IV sedation, whereas small children may require a general anesthetic.
Otoplasty or ear reshaping surgeyr is commonly performed on an outpatient basis .
The surgical procedure involves making an incision in the posterior sulcus of the ear (the groove between the back of the ear and the scalp).
A variable amount of skin is removed, allowing access to the cartilage of the ear.
This ear cartilage is then sculpted using a scalpel as well as sutures to reshape the ear as well as reposition the ear closer to the scalp.
The final scar from the incision is very well hidden and can be virtually impossible to find.
Following ear reshaping surgery in our San Diego office, patients are wrapped in dressing for one night and are allowed to return home.
They return the following morning, at which time the dressing is removed and replaced with a tennis head band, which is worn for one to two weeks.
The head band can be removed as needed for cleaning or showering, and may be worn only at night to allow a quick return to work or play.
Around age five or six, children become aware of their prominent ears, and are typically teased at school by their peers, subjected to nicknames such as "dumbo" or "mickey mouse.
" Otoplasty is almost always successful in correcting this deformity, and has a positive impact on children as well as parents! The effects of ear reshaping surgery on a child's self image are generally immediate.
For this reason, is it best to perfrom the surgery early, around age five or six, before the child becomes overly aware and self-conscious, possibly suffering long term self-esteem impact.
Another benefit to early surgery is increased pliability of the cartilages, generally allowing a very smooth contour to the ears.
In many cases, adult patients seek otoplasty surgery.
In such cases, ear pinning is often combined with other facial plastic surgery procedures in our San Diego practice, such as rhinoplasty or face lift surgery.
One benefit to performing ear reshaping surgery in adults is that the procedure is easily tolerated with only oral sedation or mild IV sedation, whereas small children may require a general anesthetic.
Otoplasty or ear reshaping surgeyr is commonly performed on an outpatient basis .
The surgical procedure involves making an incision in the posterior sulcus of the ear (the groove between the back of the ear and the scalp).
A variable amount of skin is removed, allowing access to the cartilage of the ear.
This ear cartilage is then sculpted using a scalpel as well as sutures to reshape the ear as well as reposition the ear closer to the scalp.
The final scar from the incision is very well hidden and can be virtually impossible to find.
Following ear reshaping surgery in our San Diego office, patients are wrapped in dressing for one night and are allowed to return home.
They return the following morning, at which time the dressing is removed and replaced with a tennis head band, which is worn for one to two weeks.
The head band can be removed as needed for cleaning or showering, and may be worn only at night to allow a quick return to work or play.
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