Are your ears starting to sag or look deflated? Just like in other parts of your body, gravity always wins! (At least temporarily.) At some point, your earlobes may start to lose their firmness and elasticity and appear droopy and/or deflated. If you are not happy with how they look, you may want to consider a form of otoplasty in order to shorten and/or inflate your earlobes.
As with any other part of our body, our ears age, and deformities can develop over time. Although the ears are made of flexible fatty tissue, your earlobes will not be as sturdy or stiff as the cartilage on your nose or the upper parts of your ear. Because of this, it can be easily torn or stretched.
Other than aging and trauma, hanging or droopy earlobes (earlobe ptosis) can also be genetically inherited.
However, there are several ways for you to have your droopy earlobe treated that require that you consult an otoplasty surgeon.
So your ears stuck out and you had an operation and you’re still not happy. What’s the deal?
Otoplasty is a procedure that corrects deformities of your ear, most commonly ears that stick out too far. It is generally a safe, reliable procedure but there are times when complications occur or the patient is simply not happy with the result. Maybe the ears are now too close to the head. Maybe there are lumps and bumps that you don’t like. If you find yourself in a similar situation and are unhappy with the outcome of your ear surgery, what should you do?
Otoplasty is one of the procedures where you can instantly see the changes in the appearance of the ear. However, you might see ears that are pinned too far back to the head. This can ultimately lead to unwanted results and disappointment. If this happens, though, several otoplasty techniques that can be taken to correct it. One of these is Reverse Otoplasty.
Dr. Thorne is the Editor-in-Chief and the author of several chapters in Grabb and Smith's PLASTIC SURGERY, 7th Edition.
Ear Construction Chapter in PDF