What is an Otoplasty?
(Ear Correction Surgery)
An Otoplasty -also known as Ear Correction Surgery- is a cosmetic surgical procedure aimed at reshaping or resizing the patient’s ears in cases of prominent, bulging, abnormally enlarged, or forward-facing ears. The surgery is performed by removing part of the ear cartilage to improve its appearance and correct any deformities. Otoplasties are one of the most common cosmetic procedures.
Overview
of the Procedure
- There are numerous methods/strategies to perform a cosmetic ear surgery, which vary according to the nature of correction needed. The surgeon may choose to make the incisions within the inner folds of the ears or behind them, in order to best conceal any operative marks. Then, excess skin and cartilages are removed, and the latter (cartilages) are repositioned in their corrected placement using permanent inner surgical threads which hold the newly formed (reconstructed) cartilages in place. Keeping in mind that cartilage removal is not an essential aspect of Otoplasties, as the surgeon may be able to bend and manipulate it accordingly. Lastly, the surgeon will stitch the incisions in an adequate manner.
- This procedure takes an average of 1-2 hours to be completed.
Anesthesia:
An Otoplasty is considered a simple surgery that can be performed on children over 5 years old, whereby the type of anesthesia used can vary on an individual basis, depending on the patient’s age and health condition for example. Thus, anesthesia for Otoplasties can be general, local, or intravenous.
Duration of Stay:
Otoplasties require a 6-day stay in Istanbul, with 1 overnight stay, depending on case specifics.
Post-Op:
- The patient may experience some itching and pain in the affected areas, which are perfectly normal post-op effects in the initial period and can be mitigated through prescribed painkillers.
- Following an Otoplasty, the surgeon will bandage the head in order to protect and support the ear(s) for a minimum of 3 days. The patient will then need to rest for a week’s time. In case of stitches needing to be removed, the doctor will do so a week from the operation.
- The patient is advised to be mindful of their ear(s) after the operation: avoiding proximity to any object that could pressure the affected areas, refraining from scratching the wounds, and wearing appropriate attire such as wide collars and button-up shirts. In addition, it is best not to wet the wound before it has healed to prevent any risk of infection or microbial/bacterial transmissions, whilst maintaining proper hygiene and sterilisation procedures.
Your case will be monitored by the medical follow-up department on a monthly basis following the operation for a full year to ensure adherence to instructions for the best results.
