Ear Surgery (Pinnaplasty or Otoplasty)

The ears have a large effect on appearance and are a prominent feature on a person’s face. Many women, men and children feel insecure with the way their ears look and this causes massive self esteem issues and psychological distress. In these circumstances they may seek out surgery to correct this. Both adults and children can have this procedure.

The ideal candidates for ear correction surgery include:

• Adults of children with prominent or protruding ears
• An ear size that is disproportionate to the size of the adult or child’s head.
• Asymmetrical ears
• Reduced self-esteem or psychological concerns due to ear shape or size

A Prominent ear shape is very often caused by poor development of the antihelical fold. The Earfold is suitable to help in these instances as the implant effectively pins back the ears to a desired position.

If however a deep conchal bowl is the main cause and you wish to change the size or shape of the ear, you may need traditional surgery. This is because the earfold can only change the position and not the size or overall shape of the ear.

It is true that the earfold treatment is far less invasive than traditional otoplasty. However it carries a greater risk of re-protrusion.

You will be able to determine which procedure would be right for you by booking in for a free consultation.

Yes if you are having the earfold treatment. With this treatment you can choose how much correction will be done on your ears and hence see what it would look like BEFORE the actual implants are fitted.  Contact Mr El Gawad here to book a free consultation for ear correction surgery in Manchester, Liverpool or nearby to discuss whether an earfold treatment is suitable for your individual needs and hence if you are able to see what the correction will look for before surgery.

Prominent ears very often can be a facial feature that is genetical and hence runs throughout families. Prominent ears do not usually cause any hearing issues but children very often find themselves a victim of bullying due to the size or shape. Many children have opted to have their ears pinned for that reason.

It is usually not advisable to have ear correction surgery on children younger than 6 years old as their facial features will still be maturing.

Earlobe repair surgery is a procedure that aims to repair split or stretched earlobes. Earlobes can split due to a number of reasons. Common reasons include accidental tearing of the earlobe whilst wearing pierced earrings, or lobes that have been over-stretched from wearing tribal type earrings.

This procedure is relatively quick and simple to do.  It is done using a local anaesthetic so you will be awake during the procedure. You will be able to see the final results approximately 4 to 6 months after the operation.  You can usually re-pierce your ears after 6 months.

Ear correction surgery is usually done under local anaesthesia. This means your ears and surrounding area will be numbed using a special type of medication called a local anaesthetic.  This means you will be awake during the procedure although you will not be able to feel any pain.

Traditional Surgery

Traditional ear surgery usually involves the following.

• Your surgeon will make a small incision behind the ear to reveal the ear cartilage.
• Your surgeon will remove small amounts of cartilage if required.
• The ears will be reshaped or positioned closer to your head and then stitched into place.

Traditional otoplasty surgery usually takes 1 to 2 hours. You’ll usually be able to go home the same day when a local anaesthetic has been used. Your surgeon may put a bandage around your head. This is to aid the healing process –  to help your ears heal in their new position as well as to protect them from infection.

Earfold Treatment

If having an Earfold treatment the actual procedure can be done in approximately 20 minutes with much less downtime.

The implant is made in a curved shape.  The surgeon will make a small incision and insert the clip or implant in the ear using a small special device. Once the implant is in position and released, it takes up its original curved shape again. This repositions your ear at the angle you and your surgeon agreed previously.

If you leave hospital with a bandage around your head you must make sure it stays dry. This means you will not be able to wash your hair until after it has been removed. You should aim to stop the headband or ears from getting wet for at least 1 week.

Your surgeon may ask you to wear a headband during the night when you are asleep for a few weeks after you have had ear correction surgery. This to protect your ears while you are asleep.

You may find that your stitches  come to the surface of the skin on your ears or you may feel minor discomfort around the ears.  It is recommended that you treat any pain with painkillers, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol.

7 to 10 days after the operation: You will remove the bandage (if one has been used) at this stage. Your stitches will also be removed (unless they’re dissolvable stitches).

After 1 to 2 weeks: Your child can usually return to school by this point or you can return to work.

After 4 to 6 weeks: You should be ok to swim by now.

Around 12 weeks: You should be able to participate in contact sports by now.

You will see an improvement immediately after the procedure has been done. However it may take 3 to 6 months for the results to be fully seen.

This usually happens in the early few hours to few days. This may require a visit back to theatre.

This usually happens in the first few days after rhinoplasty surgery. This may need a course of antibiotics.

Asymmetry; means that both sides are not exactly equal.

Wound breakdown; this may need frequent dressings and would leave a stretched scar. The scar could be revised at a later stage.

Over or under correction may occur and need further surgery.

This may improve on its own or needs skin graft.

Altered sensation; this should improve on its own in few months time. However, it could be permanent.

This may improve on its own or need further surgery.