Research on Ear Surgery for Children

The most often performed aesthetic surgery for children is otoplasty, or ear surgery. Prominent ears are one of the features that seem to evoke teasing from other children. In 2012 , there was a 13.3% increase in otoplasty, over 2011, resulting in a total of 30,358 ear surgeries performed. At Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center, ear surgery is one of the very few surgical procedures we will perform on a child. The criteria used in assessing appropriate candidates include physical and emotional maturity. Risks and outcomes are discussed with the parents in the decision making process.

One of the definitive studies on performing ear surgery for children was published in the Journal of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in 2008. Thirty children between the ages of 6 to 14 years participated in the study, which evaluated dissatisfaction or social maladjustment due to having prominent ears, improvements in self esteem, depression, and social anxiety in the children, and some unexpected psychological symptoms. These other psychological traits (such as difficulty thinking, aggressive behavior, amount of activity at school) were evaluated by the parents with a behavioral checklist. There was also a child behavior checklist given to teachers, in which they measured things like academic achievement, learning, apparent happiness, and other school relevant behaviors. Surgically, successful results were achieved with all 30 of the children.

This study found several important facts. That behavior of the children improved more at school than at home after the surgery. That prominent ears was a bigger problem for boys than for girls (the subjects of the study were half boys, half girls). That ear surgery did indeed improve psychological problems associated with this deformity. Most interestingly, based on the psychological tests, and the review of the literature (previous studies), this study stated:

The ideal age for correction of this anatomic problem is 1 or 2 years before the child starts school, normally at about the age of 6 years, when the auricular development is complete. At preschool ages, children do not note this deformity, so at this stage they do not suffer from the psychological trauma frequently evidenced in older children with prominent ears.

So although ear surgery will help older children, the psychological trauma and bullying can be avoided altogether. We also endorse antibullying programs and urge parents to investigate whether or not their child’s school participates in any of these programs. At Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center rhinoplasty and otoplasty are generally the only surgeries I will perform on children. And we offer consultations.

Dr. Branman

Call Melinda at the front desk to set up a consultation 501-227-0707