Life is too short to hate the way your ears look. Many of our ear pinning patients have been embarrassed by their ears for as long as they can remember. In grade school, people called them names due to the size of their ears or the way they protruded from their heads. As adults, many of these patients are unwilling to wear their hair in a certain style due to ear exposure or choose to wear a particular hat everywhere they go. Ear pinning surgery, however, can end this cycle. It is a relatively quick procedure with a large payoff in confidence for both adults and children. Many parents bring their children in for this procedure to prevent teasing and self-esteem issues. Whether you’re ready to address your ears or considering ear pinning for your child, we’d love to speak with you.
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Ear pinning surgery, a form of otoplasty, is a cosmetic surgery that involves reshaping the cartilage of the outer ear to improve the size, shape, and position of the ears. In addition to correcting ears that stick out, we can also correct the asymmetry of the ears due to birth defects or injury. Because our ears reach their full size by age five or six, even children can undergo this confidence-boosting procedure. Cosmetic ear surgery will not improve hearing, but the psychological benefits for patients can be enormous.
The surgery is performed in our on-site surgical suite under sedation by Dr. Rice, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon with thousands of hours of experience and an impeccable record of happy and satisfied patients.
Recovery time is 4-7 days, and results are noticeable immediately, although it can take up to 3 months for swelling to disappear completely.
Otoplasty is a common procedure for anyone looking to change the appearance of their ears. Whether you’ve been self-conscious over your ears since childhood or you’ve been hiding your ears recently because of how an injury has left them, otoplasty can be the answer you’ve been hoping for.
Unlike most other cosmetic surgeries, ear pinning is frequently performed on young adults and children. This procedure is performed on children to prevent teasing and taunting that can be insufferable for young students. If your child has overly prominent ears, otoplasty can solve the problem in as little as two weeks. Ear pinning can be life-changing for children, especially if done at an early age.
Otoplasty is usually performed with general anesthesia for children or a local anesthetic with sedation for youth and adults. The surgery typically lasts between two to four hours, depending upon whether we are doing one or both ears. Different ear issues require variations in the procedure, but the following represents a standard ear pinning surgery.
Once the anesthesia is given, the incisions are made on the back of the ears. This location provides direct access to the ear’s cartilage while remaining hidden from view so that patients don’t have to worry about visible scars. The ear is reshaped by scoring, trimming, or thinning the cartilage and any excess skin that may be present. The ear is repositioned closer to the head, and the incision is closed with dissolvable sutures.
Following the surgery, it is normal to experience some swelling, soreness, and discomfort, but we will prescribe pain medication to help you manage any pain following the surgery. You can expect the dissolvable stitches used to close up the incisions to fully dissolve approximately one week after surgery. We will wrap your head with special cotton bandages known as “fluff bandages” that can be removed after three days. You’ll receive lightweight bandages to wear for a week once the fluff bandages are taken off.
Recovery times may vary, but we usually find that patients can return to work or school in four to seven days. We recommend scheduling the procedure during summer or Christmas break for children; this will make it easier for them to abstain from physical activities and contact sports throughout the healing process.
We recommend light walking the day after the procedure to prevent blood clots from forming, but it is important that you restrict physical activity during the healing process. Avoid any jogging or strenuous activities for two to three weeks, and wait four weeks to resume any heavy lifting. Contact sports should be completely avoided for six to eight weeks.
We pride ourselves in prepping our patients for what to expect and how best to recover from surgery with minimal discomfort. So rest assured that we will advise you every step of the way to get you back to normal day-to-day activities as quickly as possible.
Following the otoplasty surgery, you will notice immediate results. Your ears will no longer protrude as they once did, and you’ll be able to enjoy your results permanently.
Otoplasty can be a very satisfying procedure for patients, as the results are dramatic and permanent. The nature of the surgery can cause prolonged swelling, but the results will be worth it.
Otoplasty can be performed on its own or coupled with a variety of other procedures. It is most popularly performed with facelift surgery to help achieve the patient’s overall goals.
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Dr. Rice received his medical degree from Loma Linda University in Southern California where he also completed an internship in general surgery and specialty surgical training in Otolaryngology—head and neck surgery. Dr. Rice went on to complete advanced training in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Institute of Facial Plastic Surgery. He is double board-certified…
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