Otoplasty (Ear plastic surgery)
The term prominaurus (latin for “prominent ear”) refers to an ear that is more visible from the front or back of a person than is considered aesthetically ideal. Normally, the ear should be less than 2 cm from the head, and form an angle less than 25°. Having large or protruding ears can make children, as well as adults, self-conscious of their appearance. This condition is the most common ear deformity and it occurs in about 5% of the population. Protruding ears, as with a crooked nose, run in families since one of the factors that may contribute to the development of prominent ears is heredity. It’s also important to note that prominent ears can be bilateral (both ears) or unilateral (one ear).
Candidates for Otoplasty Surgery
Otoplasty is for individuals who feel that one or both ears protrude out too much. Often they feel ashamed or self-conscious and embarrassed about their appearance. There are also individuals whose ears are noticeably asymmetrical and desire to reshape one of the ears.
Your Otoplasty Surgery
Otoplasty, ear plastic surgery, or ear pinning surgery is a procedure that reduces the distance from the ear to the side of the head. At his state-of-the-art on-site surgical suite in Vancouver BC, Dr. Denton sculpts the ear into its new shape and position using a variety of suture techniques and cartilage modifying manoeuvers. Typically, otoplasty is performed as an outpatient procedure.
Sedation
Dr. Denton prefers to perform otoplasty treatments using procedural sedation which involves giving his patients a local anesthetic and sedatives. The medication can be given through an IV line in the arm in order to help ease discomfort, pain, and anxiety. During the procedure, the patient’s heart and breathing are carefully monitored. The medication ensures patients feel no pain, and do not remember the procedure.
The Procedure
An otoplasty procedure normally takes about one to two hours to perform. The incision is placed in the natural crease behind each ear so there is no visible scarring. Dr. Denton works through the incision to reshape and stitch the ear cartilage into an ideal position.
Post-Surgery
After the otoplasty procedure, patients may be prescribed pain medication to be used as needed. There is minimal pain after the first day but patients’ ears are protected with a bulky dressing which must be left on for 3 days to maintain compression. Any visible bruising is usually gone after a week or so. Even though the results of the otoplasty are permanent, it is recommended that once the dressing is removed, patients wear a headband/ski band to cover their ears completely during the day and night for about a week to hold the ears in position until completely healed. It is also a good idea to keep wearing the headband for about a month longer when sleeping to avoid folding or bending their ears.
Resuming Normal Activities
Most patients will return to the majority of their daily routine within 1 week with completely normal activities resuming after 2 weeks. However, vigorous activity and contact sports should be avoided for at least six weeks.
Earlobe reduction and repair
Due to heredity, trauma and the effects of aging our earlobes can be misshapen or stretched. This can result in individuals feeling self-conscious about the appearance of their ears. Dr. Denton is a highly experienced board-certified in otolaryngology, facial plastic surgery, and head and neck surgery. He can advise the best course of action for you. He performs surgical procedures, including earlobe reductions and repairs, in his private and fully accredited state-of-the-art surgical facility in Vancouver, BC.
Candidates for Earlobe Reshaping (Loboplasty) & Repair
If you feel that you have large or stretched earlobes as a result of ageing or due to wearing heavy earrings for many years, Dr. Denton can help reduce the size of your earlobes. Likewise, if your earlobes have been torn or damaged in any way from wearing earrings or studs, then we can help repair them using a variety of techniques. It is common today for both men and women to suffer from large unwanted and unattractive holes in their earlobes because of body piercings with gauges and studs. Fortunately, Dr. Denton is able to successfully correct these issues and restore your earlobes.
The Earlobe Reshaping & Repair Procedure
Dr. Denton performs these procedures using local anesthesia only. Most earlobe reshaping and repair procedures are carried out in less than an hour. However, if you have extensive damage to your earlobe the procedure could require more time to repair. Badly damaged earlobes are repaired by rearranging the soft tissue in order to replace the tissue that has been damaged. In instances of only partial earlobe tears, the damaged skin is removed and the earlobe stitched back together using a small number of tiny sutures. In most cases, patients can expect natural-looking earlobes after the reshaping and/or repair procedures.
Post-Surgery
Patients experience a fairly easy recovery period that may require the application of prescribed ointment to help healing and prevent infections. If patients feel any discomfort or pain, it is usually treated with non-prescription pain medication.
The sutures are removed after 7 – 10 days and patients can return to work within a day or two after their surgery. As for the possibility of visible scarring, it depends on the extent of the damage to the earlobe but normally scarring is barely visible.
After earlobe reshaping and repair, many individuals ask if it will be possible to safely re-pierced their earlobe. The answer is “YES,” your earlobes can be re-pierced after 3 months.
Contact Dr. Denton
If you are unhappy with the shape, size or condition of your ears and would like to change the way they look, an otoplasty can help you improve the appearance of your ears and make you feel much more confident. Contact Dr. Denton to schedule a consultation. Dr. Denton believes that the patient must be an equal member of the decision-making team so that he or she can make sound informed decisions and will be aware of the expected result. That is why he encourages all his patients to learn as much as possible about any procedure they would like to undergo in order to determine whether it is right for them.