Ear plastic surgery is also known as otoplasty from the Greek word oto for ear. Ears are a very prominent feature of a person’s face, any deformity or asymmetry is immediately obvious and many patients suffer great emotional and psychological damage because of the reaction of others to their problem. Children are especially vulnerable to the stares and teasing of other children and are quite often sent for surgery by their parents before too much emotional damage is caused.

There are numerous plastic surgery procedures and operations available to repair all manner of ear abnormalities from pinning back ears that stick out, to resizing and repositioning ears that are not symmetrical, lobe repair or reconstruction and even full ear reconstruction surgery among other options. The procedure used and the area or areas of the ear that are operated on will vary depending upon each individual patients needs.

The ear completes most of its growth by the time a child reaches the age of four and from this age onwards permanent changes can be made to the ear. The majority of patients who undergo ear plastic surgery are actually children between the ages of 4 and 14. Many doctors recommend that children undergo cosmetic reconstruction as early as possible so as to minimize the chances or effects of school yard bullying and teasing. Ear plastic surgery although performed on lots of children is also very successfully performed on adults.

Due to the symmetry issues involving the placement and shaping of the ears it is not uncommon for doctors to take several photographs and even castings of the ears to give them all of the information they will need to decide on the best procedure and course of action for the patients individual needs. Thorough preparation and planning is an essential part of any successful ear plastic surgery.

Most otoplasty procedures are completed as an outpatient in the surgeon’s rooms under a local anesthetic. The procedures generally take 2 to 3 hours and the recovery time is also reasonably short with the majority of patients returning to their normal activities such as work or school within a week. Of course more complex ear plastic surgery procedures such as full ear reconstructions will be performed in a hospital under a general anesthetic and can take considerably longer.

It is a physical surgery that can have a huge positive emotional effect on adults and children alike, the procedure will give the patients more self confidence and improve their overall quality of life.