If you’re insecure about how your ears look, otoplasty (ear surgery) can help by resizing, reshaping, and repositioning the ears. Here, we discuss what otoplasty can treat, how old you need to be for this surgery, and how long you can expect recovery to take.
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Do You Dislike the Way Your Ears Look?
We all want to look like the best version of ourselves, but everyone has their own insecurities, and it’s quite common for those insecurities to be about physical appearance. Many people with ears that are disproportionately sized or protruding dislike how this looks. It is challenging to have insecurities about your physical features, especially regarding the ears, which are not easy to cover up.
While it can be frustrating to dislike the way your ears look and feel the need to hide them, there is a surgical solution that may provide great relief. Otoplasty, commonly called ear surgery, can reshape, resize, and reposition the ears to enhance their physical appearance and boost your confidence.
What Can Otoplasty Treat?
Whether you’ve long felt self-conscious about your ears or have had a recent injury that’s altered their appearance, otoplasty can help. Otoplasty is customized to the individual, making the patient confident and comfortable with how their ears look.
Size
When the ears are disproportionately sized in comparison to one’s head and facial features, they can draw unwanted attention. If you feel that your ears are too large or too small for your face, your ear surgery can involve resizing them for a more suitable look.
Shape
People can have a variety of ear shapes, but some are bothered by ear anomalies that they were born with. In other cases, your ear shape might’ve changed due to a sports injury or other physical trauma, resulting in misshapen ears. Cauliflower ears—a type of deformity caused by repeated blunt physical force hitting the ears—are also a common result of injuries.
Other people may have droopy ears or large hanging ear lobes that they want to reshape. Otoplasty can used to make the ear lobes smaller and less noticeable.
Position
One of the most common concerns people have about their ears is that they stick out too far. Unfortunately, it is common for children who have protruding ears to be more susceptible to teasing and bullying from their peers due to how their ears look different. If you want to rectify protruding ears, your otoplasty can consist of “ear pinning,” which involves re-positioning the ears so they do not stick out as far from the head.
How Old Do You Have to Be to Get Ear Surgery?
Otoplasty is actually one of the few cosmetic surgeries approved to be performed on children. Typically, children must be at least five years old or have their cartilage developed enough to handle surgery. Whatever the age, the child must be able to follow recovery instructions with parental assistance. They must avoid touching or putting pressure on the surgical incisions while the ears heal. Adults are, of course, also candidates for ear surgery.
How Long Is Recovery After Otoplasty?
Compared to other cosmetic procedures, otoplasty has a relatively short recovery time of around one week. Your surgeon will place bandages over the ears to help them adjust to their new shape and position as they heal. These bandages typically need to stay on for at least the first three days of recovery.
It is essential that you keep the incision sites clean and dry throughout the recovery process and listen to any other instructions from your surgeon. The stitches will be removed after about a week, which is usually when patients can return to daily activities.
Schedule Your Otoplasty Consultation in Northern VA
To learn more about your otoplasty options in Northern VA, call NOVA Plastic Surgery and Dermatology at (703) 215-9152 or fill out our online contact form today.