Ear Correction (Otoplasty)

As you may know all too well, adults and children with large or protruding ears can feel extremely self-conscious about their appearance. Children are often the subject of relentless teasing and ridicule from classmates. Adults may have lived with poor self image for many years before finally deciding to change this uncomfortable physical feature.  By performing ear surgery in Beverly Hills, a procedure also known as otoplasty, our facial plastic surgeons can both reshape the ears and restore the confidence of you or your child. This procedure helps to permanently surgically set the ears back closer to the head, and reduce the size of larger ears, making them appear smaller and more proportionate.

Please contact us now online or call us today at 310-657-2253 for more information about ear surgery and a personal evaluation of your concerns.

Candidates for Ear Surgery in Beverly Hills
You may be considering otoplasty if you or your child have:

• Ears that protrude or are large
• Ear tips that fold down over the ear (known as “lop ear”)
• Large earlobes
• An injured or congenitally deformed ear known as “cupped ear” (missing outer curve) or “shell ear” (missing natural ear folds or creases)

Children as young as 5-6 may be candidates for the procedure. At this age their ear cartilage has just about finished growing. Though parents may choose otoplasty for their children, it is usually best when the child is ready and decides on their own to undergo ear surgery. In these cases, the child can be much more informed, cooperative and feel positive about the results that can be achieved.
Surgery Overview
The exact ear surgery technique your surgeon at the Alessi Institute will use depends on your specific needs. To correct protruding ears, a small incision is made in the back of each ear to access the ear cartilage. This cartilage is then reshaped or sculpted in part to position the ear back closer to the head before the incision is sutured. At times, your surgeon may remove cartilage to provide a more natural-looking fold to the ear. The procedure usually takes 2-3 hours. The ears are then padded with cotton wool, and the head is wrapped with bandages.  The ears may throb for a coupe of days. Sutures are typically removed after 1 week but it is important to limit any activities during the first month that could bend  or injure the ear.  Adults typically can return to work within 5 – 6 days and children are usually back to school within 7 days.

Because the incision is made in the groove behind the ears, scars will not be visible after surgery. In some cases, correction may require an incision on the front surface of the ear, and in these cases our surgeons make every effort to carefully place incisions where they are undetected.

Young children receive general anesthesia so that they can sleep through the procedure, while older children and adults usually require only local anesthetic with sedation.

Keep in mind that it is not natural for both ears to be exactly alike, so perfect symmetry is not a reasonable expectation following surgery. Generally, our ear surgery patients are extremely pleased with their results. Many are also  pleasantly surprised by how easily the procedure can be performed and experience very little pain during surgery or throughout the recovery period.

To learn more about the surgical techniques used in other ear surgeries, such as surgery to correct congenital deformities or replace missing parts of the ear, ask more about the procedure during your consultation.

Related Procedures
In most cases, ear surgery is performed on its own. However, adults having otoplasty may want to consider one of the following procedures as well for additional cosmetic improvements.

• BOTOX® Cosmetic: Many people begin to see lines and wrinkles starting to form around their brows and eyes even in their twenties. BOTOX is a quick and simple way to smooth out these wrinkles and keep your appearance looking fresh.

• Dermal Fillers: These injectables are ideal for filling in lines around the mouth. They have many other uses as well, including lip enhancement, increasing facial volume, and smoothing out scars or other blemishes.