Deformities of the ear that require aesthetic surgery may occur due to congenital or acquired causes. We can say that 80%-90% of ear development is completed by the age of 6. Ear deformities occur due to reasons such as congenital complete or partial absence of the ear, extra cartilage protrusions around the ear, the ear being shrunken like crumpled paper, pointed ears, or partial or complete loss of the ear as a result of an accident. These resulting deformities not only affect people psychologically, but also damage their social relationships. While this situation manifests itself as a lack of success in school-age children due to their ears being made fun of by their friends and a desire to stay away from school, the same situation manifests itself in women and men as restricting the use of their hair. It is a condition that creates self-confidence problems in people.
Why Do Prominent Ears Occur?
The ear is a sensory organ that has a special curve. We can talk about two main problems for the prominent ear problem, which is one of the most complained about ear shape.
The angle between the bone behind the ear and the auricle is too wide.
The folds on the upper part of the ear do not form and the auricle has a flat structure as if it has been ironed.
These conditions can be seen in both ears, as well as Sometimes, while one ear is normal, deformities may occur in the other ear. It is usually caused by genetic factors.
When Should Prominent Ear Surgery Be Performed?
We recommend that children have prominent ear surgery at an early age. Because, as we mentioned before, children with prominent ear problems negatively affect their success and psychology with the negative reactions they receive from their environment during school age. In addition, it may be easier for our pediatric patients to adapt to their new appearance after surgery than for adults. The recovery time of our pediatric patients is also faster than that of adults. We can say that the ideal age for prominent ear surgery is 5-6 years old, which is the period before the child starts school. Any top for adults There is no limit. Since the ear cartilage is soft in children, both the healing process and the success of the surgery are higher. In adults, some difficulties may be experienced in returning the hard ear cartilage to its previous state after surgery. Therefore, a surgery plan must be made taking into account this cartilage stiffness before surgery. Since ear plastic surgery is a procedure performed on the outer ear, it does not affect the eardrum or hearing, and there is no situation that will damage the internal structure of the ear.
How is Prominent Ear Surgery Performed?
It is like a very simple plastic surgery. Although it may seem, it is actually a very important surgery and it is recommended that it be performed by a physician who is an expert in the field. Depending on the patient's age and condition, it is performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia upon your doctor's recommendation. Since the incisions are made behind the ear in this surgery, there is no scar left. By performing an aesthetic operation aimed at the root cause of the ear problem, the ear cartilages are generally shaped as they should be and the ear is repositioned backwards. In ear aesthetics, the first step is to remove a spindle-shaped piece of skin from behind the auricle. After marking the areas to be stitched to create folds, the cartilage is filed down to a consistency that can be folded in appropriate areas and the ear shape is clarified. Then, the angle between the ear and the head is narrowed with stitches between the base of the ear and the skull bone membrane. The ear canopy is shaped by stitches placed in previously planned areas. Ear surgery is completed by repairing the skin behind the ear with aesthetic stitching. At the end of the surgery, special tapes are placed on the ear for 1-2 weeks and then removed.
Another method applied in prominent ear surgery is thread ear aesthetics. There is no incision or bleeding in this procedure, which takes 15-20 minutes. In thread ear surgery, surgical threads are placed in the ear to shape it through small holes opened behind the ear.
Your doctor must decide which technique the surgery will be used after examining the ear cartilages.
Post-Operative Period
After the surgery, people There is no harm in continuing his daily life. Patients are discharged on the same day. After the surgery, the ear is protected in a cotton pad and a bandage is applied all around the patient's ears. This bandage is removed after 3 to 7 days, depending on the patient's healing process. In thread ear aesthetics, this bandage is used for the first 3 days. Patients are advised to apply an elastic bandage to wrap around their heads while sleeping at night for a week. Afterwards, patients may need to use tennis tape or hair band for up to 3 weeks. Using this bandage helps maintain the ear shape better. In this way, the load on the stitches holding the cartilage that wants to return to its previous state is reduced, and thus the cartilage hardens and heals in its new position. In addition, the use of this band reduces edema, allows the swelling to resolve a little faster, and prevents the ear from rubbing or straining against the pillow while sleeping. It is normal to have numbness in the ear that will last for a few weeks. Hair drying and blow drying should be avoided after the surgery. Since the stitches used during the surgery are self-dissolving stitches, they do not need to be removed and they begin to dissolve on their own after 1 week and disappear completely after 3 weeks. It is normal to have edema, swelling and mild pain in the ear folds in the first week. After the first week, these swellings and edema will decrease. On the 3rd day after the surgery, patients can take a warm shower, but it should not be too long. It is necessary to stay away from activities that may bend the ear or cause any impact for 1.5 months. This is a situation that needs to be taken into consideration, especially for children. Rest period is recommended as 5 days.
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