What is Otoplasty?
Ear surgery, also known as otoplasty, in Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts, corrects the shape or position of the ear. It also corrects birth defects of the ear, as well as malformation due to injury.
Am I a good candidate for otoplasty surgery?
Good candidates are people who are not happy with the appearance of their ears, whether they have been injured or not. Most patients come in with concerns that their ears stick out too far, part of the ear cartilage has been injured or become deformed, and some could also benefit from earlobe repair.
Children, teenagers, and adults are all candidates for ear pinning surgery. Children should be healthy, five years of age or older, and able to communicate their feelings about ear surgery to be good candidates. Teenagers and adults should also be healthy individuals who do not smoke and have realistic expectations about how their ear reshaping procedure will turn out.
Skin Cancer/Otoplasty Patient #58
A woman in her later 70s with a large basal cell carcinoma of her left ear. She has diabetes and is on a blood thinner (Eliquis) because of a prior blood clot in her lung. Following Moh’s excision a large portion of the ear is missing. The question is always, “What's the best thing to do?” How can we help her pass, “the little girl test,” i.e., so she doesn’t look deformed and little girls and boys don’t poke their mother and ask, “What happened?” It would be difficult to perform a reconstruction in multiple stages with rib grafts flaps and skin grafts, especially given her medical issues. The better option is often a “reduction otoplasty.” The ear cartilage and skin are reshaped to give a normal contour but a smaller shape. We don’t look at both ears at the same time, so a smaller ear will pass inspection if it has a normal shape. We don’t want to leave it with a large notch like she was in a boxing match with Mike Tyson! The procedure is one stage under local sedation at the hospital and was done as an outpatient. At 6 weeks she already has a good contour. With her hair down the change is not noticed and with her hair up the ear is smaller but normal in contour. She passes “the little girl test.”
Otoplasty #260
A woman in her late 20s who has been bothered by prominent ears her entire life. She is shown before and again, just 6 weeks after correction in the operating room.
She still has some mild redness of the ears at 6 weeks, which should now fade and resolve over the next month. Scars are at their reddest and thickest at 6 weeks and then will fade and improve over the next 2 years. At 6 weeks, the incisions just inside the conchal rim are already starting to fade. During surgery, I first est back her deep concha by excision of a crescent of cartilage through an anterior approach. Then I rasped her antehelical fold with the Dingman otoabrader, as taught to me by Dr.Reed Dingman at the University of Michigan during my plastic surgery residency, to break the “spring” of the cartilage and allow it to bend with less force. Then, “Mustarde” sutures were placed to recreate the antithetical fold and give it a gentle curve. At this point, her ear lobes will still be prominent and were set back by dividing a ligament called the “intertragicohelcine ligament” and then pexing the helical tail to the concha with a suture as described by Dr. Richard Webster, along with a “fishtail” excision of skin behind the earlobe, without interfering with her ear piercing holes. She loves the natural appearing contour of her ears after surgery. She told me that the wind recently blew her hair up, and ordinarily, she would have been quite anxious that her formerly prominent ears would show, but she found that she was no longer bothered because of the now normal and beautiful contour.
Otoplasty #252
A man in his mid-40s who has been bothered by prominent and asymmetrical ears. He is shown before and again, just 6 weeks after bilateral otoplasty ( reshaping of his ears). A new ante helical fold was created with the Dingman otoabrader (a special cartilage rasp designed by one of my professors, Dr. Reed Dingman) and permanent sutures as well as reduction of the cartilage in the conchal bowl.
He is thrilled with the improved appearance of his ears. At 6 weeks there is still some mild redness from the healing that will continue to settle over the next few months
Otoplasty Patient
A man in his late 20s who is bothered by the prominence of his ears. He has a poorly defined anti-helical fold and conchal hypertrophy. He is shown before and again, 2 years after bilateral oto-plasty. The anti-helical folds were recreated by rasping the cartilage with the Dingman oto-abrader and placing corrective sutures. The conchal hypertrophy was corrected by excising a crescent of cartilage from each side. At 2 years he has a natural appearance to his ears and has maintained his correction. During surgery, we recreated a smoothly contoured antithetical fold with the Dingman otoabrader to gently weaken the cartilage and sutures. Excess cartilage was excised as a crescent from the overly prominent conchal bowl. He and his family love the normal appearance of his ears after surgery. Scars are typically at their reddest at 6 weeks and will continue to fade and improve over the next year or longer
Otoplasty Patient
A young man in his early teens is bothered by prominent ears. He is shown before and again, 6 weeks after bilateral otoplasty.
How Otoplasty is Performed
Plastic surgeons utilize a variety of techniques to perform otoplasties because no two ears are exactly alike. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Hall performs this cosmetic surgery to help both adult patients and younger patients to have ears that match harmoniously with the rest of their facial features, giving them the opportunity to escape teasing and self-confidence issues.
Otoplasty may be performed under either local anesthetic, intravenous sedation, or general anesthesia, depending on the extent of the procedure and the desire of the patient. Dr. Hall then makes a small incision or two to access the cartilage tissue of the inner ear. This will leave a faint scar on the back of the ear that will fade with time and is not readily visible.
What should I expect during recovery?
The recovery process after most otoplasties is pretty simple. Most patients recover quickly and are back to school or work within days.
The sutures, which are located behind the ear, are dissolvable and do not need to be removed. Patients may experience bruising or itching around and under the bandages, though medication may be prescribed to control any discomfort. It is important that bandages are not removed during the healing process to ensure optimal correction results.
How long do results last?
An otoplasty permanently corrects any imperfections of the ear. It may take a few weeks for the ear to fully adjust to its new position, but all in all the results tend to be immediate.
Ear Surgery in Boston, MA
If you or a loved one is unsatisfied with the shape, size, or prominence of one or both ears, a minimally invasive otoplasty can help you achieve the appearance you are hoping for. Start the process with Dr. Jonathan Hall by calling our Stoneham office or contacting us online today.
“I saw 3 surgeons before meeting with Dr. Hall and by far he and his staff was the most compassionate, thorough, professional and helpful. Can’t say how pleased and comfortable he and his staff made me feel.”
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"I treat my patients like I would treat
- Jonathan D. Hall, MD, FACSmembers of my own family."
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