Especially in men, overly large or malformed ears are one facial feature difficult to camouflage. Prominent ears are a favorite subject for the cruel teasing of children. No one is immune from this ridicule, including the crown prince of Great Britain, whose classmates nicknamed him jug ears. Unlike Prince Charles, however, most of us do not have our position in life assured by birth, and such an “outstanding” feature might do harm in later life as one seeks employment.
Fortunately, this problem can be corrected in early childhood, before teasing can create self-concept and self-confidence damage.
When a child is between 4 and 6 years of age, the ears have grown sufficiently enough to undergo corrective surgery, called Otoplasty. At this early age, the cartilage that determines the ears shape is pliable enough to be corrected.
Otoplasty can “pin back” or alter the shape of the ears and correct malformed, large, protruding or floppy ears, caused by the absence of folds inside the ear. This procedure, of course, can be performed on adults.
Most often, for children, this relatively painless surgical procedure is done under general anesthesia. Adults usually require only a local or IV “twilight sleep” sedation. Otoplasty is done as a day surgery procedure, returning home that same afternoon.
The incision is made behind the ear, and the cartilage is reshaped. No visible scarring occurs as the incision is concealed in the fold behind the ear. A dressing is placed over the ears and removed within a week. At that time, sutures are removed, and any bruising that might occur will disappear within a week to ten days. The results of this operation will last a lifetime.
Cosmetic surgery of the ears cannot promise instant happiness, but it can help create confidence. Enormous emotional rewards can be obtained when the appearance is corrected. Those who have always had enlarged ears might want to change their hairstyle after surgery; since they no longer need to cover unsightly protruding ears.