The most common reason people seek an otoplasty is because the ears stick out and they wish to have them moved closer to the head. Some patients who request an otoplasty (plastic surgery on the ears), however, are interested in having smaller ears. Other patients think they just want their ears pinned back and don’t realize that they really should have the size of the ears reduced at the same time. Ear shortening is an under-appreciated part of otoplasty procedures.
Many patients are aware of the more common types of otoplasty but are not aware that the length of the ears can be reduced at the top or at the bottom, or both, with invisible or nearly invisible scars.
Are you considering having plastic surgery of the ears? If so, here are some of the things you should know about the ear surgery known as otoplasty.
Otoplasty is a plastic surgery procedure on the ears that corrects excessive ear protrusion, excessive ear size, and/or corrects imperfections in the shape or contour of the ears. In the most common situation, the ears are of normal size and shape but protrude too far from the head. In those cases, otoplasty involves ear pinning or simply moving the ears closer to the head. In other cases, the otoplasty may involve ear pinning as described above but also involve other maneuvers to make your ears fit your face. An ear on a tall man may look perfect but that same ear on a small woman may look too prominent or too large.
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
