Otoplasty

As an experienced and compassionate plastic surgeon, Dr. Bunkis of Orange County Plastic Surgery understands that protruding or large ears can be an embarrassing feature for adults and children. However, this and other ear issues can be corrected with otoplasty, a type of cosmetic ear surgery for adults and children. It is an ear correction procedure designed to remove or reshape the cartilage that makes up your ears.

Otoplasty, by definition, is ear surgery that is used in a variety of situations, such as ear pinning to correct significant protrusion of the ears, known as prominauris. Another defect in ear structure that is commonly corrected with otoplasty is overly large ears that is addressed with ear reshaping. Ear surgery can even improve the appearance of the ears in case they have become misshapen from trauma and injury. Otoplasty is available to people of age at least 5 who are dissatisfied with the shape, dimension, or position of their ears.

Adults and children may be candidates for otoplasty if:

Otoplasty surgery is an outpatient procedure that normally requires only intravenous sedation with local anesthesia. For ear size reduction and ear pinning, small incisions are made around the ears to allow access to the cartilage. For plastic surgery to make ears smaller or closer to the head, cartilage is manipulated, shaped, and removed to change the size and position of the ear. This improves the proportion of the ear with the other facial features.

Sometimes, excessive skin from the ear can be removed as well. Ear surgery is used to produce natural-looking results. The extent of the surgery depends on the method and the patient’s ears.

The otoplasty surgery procedure can take up to two hours. Earlobe reduction/earlobe repair, another type of cosmetic ear surgery, may take less than one hour.

You will have an ear bandage after surgery. This holds the cartilage and soft tissues in place and prevents against infection. Children have the ear cover after surgery for approximately five days, and adults have the bandage ear protector after surgery for approximately two days. The reason that children wear an ear cover after surgery longer than adults is that they are much more active.

Otoplasty recovery is a day-by-day process, and you will need to be patient. This may be easier for adults than children. There’s little pain or discomfort during otoplasty recovery, but you should expect some tenderness and swelling. It’s crucial that pediatric patients not touch or bother their ears while they are healing. The recovery time for ear surgery varies, and children tend to heal faster than adults.

Before you are released to go home on the day of your surgery, we provide detailed aftercare instructions, such as how to sleep after otoplasty, tips for otoplasty recovery, and more.

Otoplasty scars are minimal. You will have a scar behind the ear that first heals as a slightly pink color. Over the next 12 months, the scar gradually changes to a color that is slightly darker than your natural skin tone.

Cosmetic ear surgery is an elective procedure, so it is not covered by medical insurance. We can your otoplasty cost, as well as our financing options, during the consultation with Dr. Bunkis.