Chris,
No an otoplasty will not affect your hearing, positively or negatively. The external auricle is only responsible for a minuscule amount of the gathering of sound waves to the middle and inner ear. The middle and inner ear are responsible for amplifying the sound to the brain.
Ed Buckingham
Joan,
Yes, it is possible to repair your daughter’s earlobes. The degree of difficulty depends upon how much they are stretched. The procedure would be done in the office under local anesthesia. There would be sutures to be removed in about a week and any sort of piercing could be performed 6 weeks later. The procedure would cost between $1200 and $1750 depending upon the amount of work needed to perform the procedure. We would be happy to arrange a consult to discuss this further. Please call us at your convenience.
Ed Buckingham
Jason,
Thanks for your question regarding unilateral otoplasty. We certainly can choose to setback one ear only. Typically we used the ear that the patient is happy with as a template and match the ear which protrudes to that side. Often however during consultation, once the patient understands aesthetics, they choose to setback the less prominent ear as well. It is more common that we see people who have had otoplasty performed elsewhere and have one ear which is recurrent or asymmetric. In these instances, only one side is addressed. During your consultation we can discuss the aesthetics of both of your ears and determine whether you would like to only address the more prominent side or whether you would benefit more by having both sides addressed. There are many examples of otoplasty on our website as well as additional information. I encourage you to spend some time looking around and we will look forward to seeing you.
Ed Buckingham
Joan,
Otoplasty can be done as early as 4-5 year old. We usually prefer for the child to be around 5 however so that they are a little more mature and can be compliant with wearing their dressings and incision care. Otoplasty is performed in an outpatient surgery center with a general anesthesia for young children. They are escorted back to the operating room after having oral sedation and given a gas to breath. Once sleepy an IV is started and they are then comfortable and don’t remember a thing. The procedure is performed by making an incision in the crease behind the ear and removing a small amount of skin. The cartilage is then shaped with sutures into the appropriate configuration. A dressing is worn for three days followed by a headband for a week all day and at night for the rest of the month. Otoplasty is tolerated very well and the results when performed correctly are reliable and provide great satisfaction to both patient and surgeon. We have some examples of otoplasty on our website and encourage you to review them. We would also be happy to see you and your daughter in consultation at any time.
Ed Buckingham
