Ear Reshaping
Otoplasty, cosmetic surgery to the outer ear
is one of the few procedures commonly performed on children. By about age four, ears are almost fully grown. As such, many parents and children choose an Otoplasty procedure to correct issues with oversized or protruding ears while the child is still young, as the condition will generally not be outgrown or improve with time.
Although Otoplasty procedures are, of course, available for adults and older teens, most procedures are performed on children between four and fourteen years old.
This cosmetic ear procedure is most often done under local anesthetic and sedation, although general anesthesia may be used on younger children so they are able to sleep through the procedure.
While there are a variety of techniques in current use, the most common procedure involves reshaping the cartilage and excising excess skin at the back of the ear.
In most procedures, the surgeon makes a very small incision at the back of the ear through which the cartilage making up the ear is carefully reshaped to achieve the desired shape and size.