Protruding Ears Can Be Put In Their Proper Place With An Otoplasty
Otoplasty is a form
of ear surgery performed to set disproportionately large or
prominent ears closer to the head. There are several possible
surgical approaches to otoplasty. Using a commonly employed
technique, the surgeon makes incisions in the back of the
ear and removes skin to expose ear cartilage. Then, the surgeon
uses sutures to fold the cartilage in on itself to reshape
the ear. The incisions are closed with sutures.
Q. I am concerned about my child who is entering
first grade. He has very large protruding ears and his friends
are beginning to tease him. I have spoken with my husband
about plastic surgery to "pin the ears back" because
we don't want him to grow up to be excessively self-conscious.
What would you suggest? A.
Your problem can be very satisfactorily resolved
with a procedure called Otoplasty. Otoplasty places the
ears closer to the side of the head. The operation takes
about an hour and a half to correct both ears and it can
be done with either general anesthesia or local anesthesia
with intravenous sedation.
With children, we usually use a pediatric
anesthesiologist and give light general anesthesia in combination
with local anesthesia. The procedure involves reshaping
the cartilage of the ear with a small incision in the back
of the ear. The child will return to normal activities in
about a week or so, wearing a head band.
|
