Otoplasty

Ear correcting surgery, which is also referred to as an otoplasty procedure, is directed towards the reshaping of your own ear cartilage. Generally, patients requesting this type of operative intervention lack a proper bend in the cartilage (from birth) which results in the ears looking very prominent or projecting.

In adults, the surgery is most commonly performed in an office setting utilizing local anesthesia, while children are more commonly treated in the hospital under a general anesthetic (Diagram A). The incisions are routinely placed behind the ears and the ear cartilage is then reshaped (Diagram B). The cartilage of the ear can be incised or cut. Alternatively, the cartilage is reshaped with sutures alone.

The incisions are closed with dissolving type sutures and a head band is worn for 7 to 10 days in order to help mold and maintain your newly shaped cartilage. Although recovery is routinely painless and quite short with complications being minor and infrequent, the potential risks, limitations and expectations should all be reviewed thoroughly with Dr. Van Wyck prior to surgical intervention.