Why Otoplasty?

Lots of people are teased for their overly large ears as children. When they reach 18, and sometimes sooner, they may want otoplasty. This is one of the very few procedures I will perform on a teenager or younger child. This is because after about 5 years of age, the ears are sufficiently developed to perform otoplasty. What many people don’t know is how sculpting the ear is an art. This is why you want a board certified cosmetic surgeon to perform the procedure. Also, you may not know that various ear deformities have specific names such as scroll ear (where the ear curls inward or outward to much), Stahl’s ear (a very pointy top of the ear), cleft earlobe (a notched ear), cat’s ears (extremely prominent ears), although many people have heard of the cauliflower ear that many professional fighters acquire from trauma to the ear.

The most common ear surgery we perform at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center is for cat’s ears, unfortunately sometimes called Dumbo ears. Of course ears come in all shapes and sizes, and generally, you want them to match the rest of your face. Sometimes, rather than folding in toward the head, the outer edge of the ear sticks out. This is from underdevelopment of the antihelix, that second fold in from the edge of the ear. Other times the concha, the recess between the edge of the ear and the hole of the ear, can be enlarged, and this too can cause the ear to stick out. Ears that are too prominent for the rest of the face and stick out can be “pinned back” by setting them back closer to the head. Usually, otoplasty is permanent, although occasionally a recurrence can happen when the ears again become prominent. In this case, the revisional surgery can again correct the problem, but this is rare. I do a combination of pinning back the ear, and resection of the conchal bowl so this will be less likely to happen.

At Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center, I make very precise incisions behind the ear to expose the cartilage. To reposition the ear, it may be necessary to remove or remodel some of the cartilage. Reconstructing the fold of the ear, how much to cartilage to remove from the conchal bowl, or how much skin to remove to reduce tension are all part of the art of re-sculpting the ear. This is where the artistic modeling comes in. Arkansas patients seeking otoplasty can get a consultation at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center.

Call the Melinda at the front desk to set up your consultation 501-227-0700