Ear Reshaping

The surgical procedure used for the correction of ears that are protruding is termed as otoplasty. Pinnaplasty is also used to denote the same. The cartilage of the ears is remodelled to get a better shape. Once remodelled, stitches are used to pin back the ear.

Neo-natal ear moulding is done as an alternative to Pinnaplasty for babies who are below six months as the cartilage at this stage will be very soft and the remodelling will be an easier process.

Necessity of otoplasty

In normal cases, the outer ear sticks out from the head’s side at angle of twenty to thirty five degrees. This will help the person in the gathering of the sounds in an effective manner.

But in certain people the ear will protrude at an angle which is more than thirty-five degrees. These are commonly referred to as protruding ears. Cases of protruding ears are normally hereditary, even though there is no clear reason for it.

The presence of protruding ears does not pose any physical harm to any one. But it can result in psychological distress in some.

Since ears are one of the parts of the body that develop completely first, the children who have protruding ears will be the topic of bullying and teasing, which can cause serious psychological harm.

When should reshaping of the ear be done,

Neo-natal ear moulding is normally done when the babies are just six months or even younger than that. After that stage it becomes difficult to perform moulding on the babies’ ears using splints as they become hard.

Otoplasty can be performed once the ear grows completely. In majority of the cases, the ear completes it growth by five years.

But the plastic surgeons who perform otoplasty advise the performing of otoplasty only after the child has grown to an age where he can understand the serious ness of the things. At this stage, the children will be able to understand and then give the consent for performing the surgery.

Usually the surgery is done between five and fifteen years as the remodelling of the ear become difficult even by the surgery after fifteen years.

How is reshaping of the ears done

Neo-natal ear modelling is performed by applying splints to the edge of the inner ear using adhesive tapes. This will help in the remodelling of the ear into a more pleasant shape.

If the treatment begins when the baby is just a few weeks old, then the treatment need to be done only for a very less time.

But if one starts applying the splints only when the baby is four months, it may have to be applied for a minimum of three months.

Otoplasty is performed for children and adults under local anaesthesia. General anaesthesia is the better option in younger. Incisions are made behind the ears and then the cartilage is removed or remodelled to give a better look. The ear is held back in position using special types of dissolvable stitches. There will be tiny scars present on the ears after the surgery.

Complications

The area of the incisions may develop infection that may require antibiotics.
The ear skin may have clots of blood that must be removed using needle.