Cosmetic ear surgery

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Cosmetic ear surgery

Cosmetic ear surgery is performed tomove disproportionately large or prominent ears closer to the head.

Cosmetic ear surgery is called otoplasty. Thousands ofthese surgeriesare performed successfully each year. The surgery may be done in the surgeon's office, in an outpatientclinic, or in a hospital. It may bedone under a local anesthetic, which numbs the area around the ears, or under a general anesthetic, which will cause sleep through the entire operation. The procedure usually lasts about 2 hours.

During the most common method,a surgeon makes a cut in the back of the ear and removes skin to see the ear cartilage.The cartilage is folded. This reshapes the ear, bringing it closer to the head. Sometimes the cartilage is cut before folding it. Stitches are used to close the wound.

The procedure can be doneafter age 5 or 6, when ear growth is almost complete. However, if disfigurement is severe (lop ears), a child should have surgery early to avoid possible emotional stress when going to school.

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