Prominent ear correction (otoplasty)

This procedure is suitable for anyone who feels that their ears are ‘sticking out’ more that the average person. The correction is achieved via a short incision at the back of the ear, through which, the cartilage is moulded into its new shape using sutures. The aim of this surgery is to create a natural looking ear without an ‘overdone’ appearance. Looking from the front, the helical fold (outer ear rim), should always be visible and be just outside the second inner fold (antihelical fold). The latter, is the one that is commonly underdeveloped in prominent ears and it is the one re-created by this procedure. For best aesthetic results, this new inner fold should not obscure the outer fold, when a person is seen from the front. In adults, the procedure can be done either under local or general anaesthetic. For children (not currently offered), the procedure requires a general anaesthetic.

After Otoplasty surgery, a soft head band is required to protect the ears from folding over, especially at night. This needs to be worn for the first 6 weeks, to prevent the ears from adopting their old shape (recurrence). The new shape of the cartilage is held in place with sutures and until it has healed in this position, any physical sports should be strictly avoided. You must not allow anyone to pull or tug your ears during this 6-week period and as long as these precautions are taken the new shape will be permanent.

This surgery takes approximately one and a half to two hours. In adults this can be performed, either under local anaesthetic, which is my preference, or under general anaesthetic.

There is mild tenderness behind the ear, where the incision has been made. During surgery a long acting local anaesthetic agent is used and post operatively oral analgesia is prescribed. The combination of the two should keep you very comfortable during your recovery. Excessive pain after this surgery might be a warning sign for a potential blood clot (haematoma) behind the ear and you are encouraged to flag this up as soon as possible to our team.

A small degree of discomfort, bruising and swelling in the ears is to be expected after this procedure. If, however this becomes excessive or you are experiencing considerable pain, you must contact us immediately. For the first two to five nights, it is recommended you sleep propped up with a few pillows and not on your side to avoid pressure on the ears and allow the swelling to reduce. The head band must be worn day and night for protection for the first week and then only during night time for a full 6 weeks. This is to stop any damage to the ears when moving whilst asleep. Please avoid any contact sports or any heavy exercise for the first 6 weeks. There might be external stitches that need to be removed by the nurse at about 1 week to ten days.

Like with any other surgery, there is an element of mild discomfort and pain relief will be provided for you. There is also a small risk of infection, bleeding (haematoma), swelling, bruising, formation of a bad scar, asymmetry, over/under correction, recurrence of the old shape needing re operation. Ears are unfortunately a vulnerable site for developing bad scarring, such as hypertrophic or keloid scarring. This is very difficult to predict, but a personal history of previous adverse scars or a family history of such, will increase the risk. Swelling and bruising progressively reduce over the course of approximately two weeks, but the swelling might take a little longer to completely resolve and this can vary between patients. Like in all surgery, there is no guarantee for a perfect outcome.