OTOPLASTY I Surgery for protruding ears

Surgery for protruding ears under local anesthesia for a natural, risk-free result…

Otoplasty, an operation possible at any age.

       Otoplasty is the correction of protruding ears. This operation can be performed at any age although the request is more common among young children. In young children, during the consultation, Dr. Smarrito will endeavor to verify that the request really comes from the child because in the opposite direction, he could experience it as an attack. On the other hand, it is not uncommon to see older patients wishing to correct even minor protruding ears.

      Prominent ear surgery will combine several procedures depending on the anatomical aspect of the original ear.

Very often, the appearance of a protruding ear is characterized by an angle between the skull and the cartilage of the ear which is too open, which gives a rather spaced and very visible appearance of the pinna of the ear from the front. This anomaly is corrected by placing points at the posterior part of the ear, the cartilage is thus firmly anchored to the retro-auricular tissue and this allows the angle to be closed and thus to the face, no longer have the sensation of too much ears. visible.

Associated with this anomaly, there is often a ear flexion defect. If we look precisely inside the ear, there is a relief which is convex in shape which flares upwards and which creates the equivalent of half a tube. Often, this anatomical anomaly gives the appearance of a protruding ear that is quite prominent at the top.

Patients come to the consultation by testing with their finger in front of a mirror and sort of folding their ear backwards to close an angle that is too open. In this configuration, the intervention requires a posterior scar which is not visible on the front of the ear which allows from behind to pass over the anterior part of the cartilage which is grated in order to create a gentle angle and which almost spontaneously create this tube and this rounded appearance inside the ear. To maintain the result, a few threads are then placed to stabilize the result over time.

Finally, many variations exist at the ear level such as for example a excess cartilage inside called cartilage called concha cartilage which can be resected during the intervention or abnormalities of the border or even certain twists. This must be analyzed in consultation because if certain anomalies can be corrected, others would require fairly aggressive reconstructive surgery with cartilage grafts which has no place in a simple otoplasty.

A specialized consultation necessary for an otoplasty…

        the lobule in this surgery can be corrected or worked. If it is excessive, it is possible to remove a part and re-apply it to the lower part of the ear but care must be taken to keep a normal shape of the lobule and not give the impression of a lobule plated while trying to keep a natural rounding at the lower part of the lobule.

A lobule that is too prominent in the shape of a telephone is often more difficult to correct and techniques exist with posterior strips of tissue but here too the cost of scarring can be significant. Often this anomaly is neglected but it is finally possible to try to correct it. The whole difficulty of correcting the lobule lies in the fact that the lobule is a soft tissue, there is no cartilage of any kind to attach to create a fixed point. Everything is worked on the soft tissue which makes this correction much more difficult. 

Otoplasty is a precise procedure, which when mastered allows defects to be quickly corrected, thus allowing this procedure to be carried out under local anesthesia without any pain.

In most of the cases, patient satisfaction with otoplasty is extreme especially since the consequences are often simple if you tolerate a few bruises for a few days. Dr Smarrito also advises not to cut your hair short so that you can hide the area for around ten days. The threads must be removed but in a very simple manner and if complications exist, they are extremely rare. Among the existing complications, it is necessary to remember the risk of keloid scars which is rather common on dark skin and during adolescence.

The age of intervention can be early, 7-8 years old and again general anesthesia is not necessary then after adolescence and finally at any age if an adult wishes to have a short haircut or an adult finally be able to benefit from tying up their hair. Coverage if you have private insurance can be done through the insurance provided that it is a child. Otherwise, in the absence of private insurance or adult age, the intervention will be the responsibility of the patient. Dr Smarrito remains at your disposal for any further information on the subject. Please find attached an otoplasty sequence.

On the other hand, each post-otoplasty photo is personalized since the patient can adjust the result according to their wishes during the consultation. It is therefore preferable to simulate the final result to come for a consultation where Dr Smarrito will be perfectly able to explain to you either in front of the mirror or by computer morphing the probable appearance of your otoplasty.