All surgery carries some risk
The decision to have ear surgery is extremely personal, and you’ll have to decide whether the benefits will achieve your goals and whether the risks and potential complications are acceptable. Your plastic surgeon and/or staff will explain in detail the risks associated with surgery. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure you will undergo, the alternatives, and the most likely risks and potential complications.
Some of the risks include:
- Bleeding (hematoma)
- Blood clots
- Asymmetry
- Infection
- Poor wound healing
- Change in skin sensation
- Skin contour irregularities
- Skin discoloration/swelling
- Anesthesia risks
- Unfavorable scarring
- Allergies to tape, suture materials, glues, blood products, topical preparations, or injected agents
- Pain, which may persist
- Possibility of revisional surgery
Be sure to ask questions:
It’s very important to ask your plastic surgeon questions about your procedure. It’s natural to feel some anxiety, whether it’s excitement for your anticipated new look or a bit of preoperative stress. Don’t be shy about discussing these feelings with your plastic surgeon.
Planning for surgery
Prior to surgery, you may be asked to
- Get lab testing or a medical evaluation
- Take certain medications or adjust your current medications
- Stop smoking well in advance of surgery
- Avoid taking aspirin and certain anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements, as they can increase bleeding
Special instructions you receive will cover:
- What to do on the day of surgery
- The use of anesthesia during your procedure
- Post-operative care and follow-up
Your plastic surgeon will also discuss where your procedure will be performed. Depending on the type of surgery you will undergo, your procedure may be performed in your plastic surgeon’s accredited office-based surgical facility, an ambulatory surgical facility, or a hospital.
You’ll need help
If your ear surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery and to stay with you for at least the first night following surgery.
Where the surgery will be performed
Ear surgery may be performed in your plastic surgeon’s accredited office-based surgical facility, an ambulatory surgical facility, or a hospital. Your plastic surgeon and the assisting staff will fully attend to your comfort and safety.
After surgery, bandages or dressings will be applied to keep your surgical site clean, protect it from trauma, and support the ear’s new position during initial healing.
Types of anesthesia
Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedure. The choices include local, intravenous sedation, or general anesthesia. Your doctor will recommend the best choice for you.
The Surgery
Correction of protruding ears uses surgical techniques to create or increase the antihelical fold (just inside the rim of the ear) and to reduce enlarged conchal cartilage (the largest and deepest concavity of the external ear). Incisions for otoplasty are generally made on the back surface of the ear. When incisions are necessary on the front of the ear, they are made within its folds to hide them. Internal, non-removable sutures are used to create and secure the newly shaped cartilage.
External stitches close the incision. Techniques are individualized, taking care not to distort other structures or create an unnatural “pinned back” appearance.
Ear surgery offers near-immediate results for protruding ears, with the new shape visible once the dressings that support the ear during the initial phases of healing are removed. With the ear permanently positioned closer to the head, surgical scars are either hidden behind the ear or well concealed in its natural creases.
Getting Back to Normal – Recovery Period
Discomfort immediately following ear surgery is normal and can be controlled with pain medication. There may be an itchy feeling under bandages. It is essential that bandages remain intact and are not removed for any reason. Failure to do so may result in loss of some of the correction and may require a secondary surgery. However, if there is significant pain, your physician should be contacted immediately, as it may indicate a blood collection or another problem.
Be sure to ask your plastic surgeon specific questions about what to expect during your individual recovery period.
- Where will I be taken after my surgery is complete?
- What medication will I be given or prescribed after surgery?
- Will I have dressings/bandages after surgery? When will they be removed?
- Are stitches removed? When?
- When can I resume normal activity and exercise?
- When do I return for follow-up care?
More natural-looking ears
Ear surgery offers almost immediate results in cases of protruding ears, with the new shape visible when the dressings that support the ear during the initial phases of healing are removed. With the ear permanently positioned closer to the head, surgical scars are either hidden behind the ear or well hidden within its natural creases.
Schedule an Ear Surgery Consultation
To learn more about ear surgery, please contact the team at Northwestern Plastic Surgery to schedule a personal consultation. Call us today or send us an email.