Otoplasty
WHAT IS EAR COSMETIC SURGERY
Although, in general, people focus more on the aesthetic of facial features such as nose, eyes, and lips, ears are also an important factor in our appearance. There are various ear shapes like square ears, broad ears, and pointed ears. Cosmetic ear surgeries exist to reshape the ears as desired.
Ear cosmetics in Egypt is a plastic surgery that corrects deformities or irregular shapes in the ear. There can be several types of deformities, such as prominent ears, protruding ears, certain sprains or deformities that cause hearing loss, or ears with excessively large ears and earlobes. These can be fixed by ear-pinning operations or reshaping the cartilages that support the pinna.
The procedure is commonly performed on children between 4 -14. However, adults can also undergo the operation successfully.
The surgery lasts 2-3 hours under local or general anesthesia, and it takes two to four weeks to recover after the surgery.
EAR COSMETIC SURGERY TECHNIQUES
There are two types of ear reshaping surgery, either surgical or non-surgical method:
- Surgical method: In this one, the doctor makes a surgical incision, whose size is determined according to the patient’s ear defects, to correct them.
- Non-surgical method: The doctor reshapes the cartilage of the ear and tightens it back by using golden threads. Then he makes a minimal incision in the back of the ear, which enables him to control the cartilage, and closes the incision.
CANDIDATES FOR EAR COSMETIC SURGERY
For children, a candidate for ear surgery should meet the following conditions:
- The candidate should be healthy and without serious diseases or chronic ear infections.
- The ear cartilage should be stable enough to perform an ear surgery.
- The candidate should be cooperative and follow all instructions well.
For adults, a candidate for ear surgery should be:
The person should be in good health, without serious diseases or certain infections that may hinder recovery. Should not be a smoker. Have a full realization of the importance of ear cosmetic surgery and its positive impact on his health and social life.
PRE-OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR EAR SURGERY
Some instructions that must be followed by the patient before the ear surgery to ensure the success of the surgery and get the desired results:
- Perform the necessary laboratory and medical tests before undergoing ear surgery.
- Take certain medications prescribed by your doctor to ensure positive results during the procedure.
- Check your current medications with your doctor to ensure that they do not cause any adverse effects during the surgery.
- Stop smoking before the operation.
- Avoid taking aspirin, specific NSAIDs, and herbal supplements because they cause severe bleeding.
POST-OPERATIVE FOR EAR SURGERY
After the ear surgery, you should follow several recommendations to avoid any complications or side effects associated with the surgery:
- You must wear the dressings prescribed by your doctor to keep the wound clean and protect it from any infection that might occur. Not to mention its importance in supporting the new position of the ear after the operation for three days at least.
- Stay at home for at least a week.
- Follow the necessary instructions for ear care after the operation, such as taking certain medicines to reduce the risk of infection.
- Contact your doctor immediately in case of unusual side effects or complications.
- Keep away from sunlight or bad environmental conditions after the ear surgery.
- Follow your plastic surgeon’s instructions to speed up your recovery on the one hand, and ensure successful results on the other hand.
EAR SURGERY STAGES
There are three stages of ear surgery:
- Anesthesia: Anesthesia can be local or general, depending on the patient’s condition, usually determined by the doctor.
- Making an incision: To correct the prominent ears, the size of the inner fold of the ear is usually increased while the size of the cartilage is reduced to give a bigger concavity of the ear. For the other incisions, surgical incisions are generally made in the back area of the ear. However, sometimes, it is necessary to make it in the anterior area of the air to hide it within the folds inside the ear.
- Closing the surgical incisions: Surgical incisions are closed with external medical stitches on the back of the ear to avoid any signs due to the incisions.
