Plastic Surgeons and parents find themselves agreeing on teens’ desire for the cosmetic procedure to adjust their protruding or misshaped ears. The medical term for this procedure is Otoplasty. With images displayed over every type of media outlet, a large amount of teens think about and discuss with their peers, how easy it would be to have what they consider ‘perfect bodies’. It is not rare that girls and boys begin sharing such thoughts prior to puberty. The majority of plastic surgeons and parents agree that most elective cosmetic procedures should not be performed on teenagers, especially on the younger side of the teens. Otoplasty has positive benefits, which is why it is one of the elective procedures that is universally agreed upon.
Reasons for Child and Teen Ear Surgery
Reconstructive Ear Surgery can greatly benefit a pre-pubescent child or teen. Puberty does not affect the ears. Ears are completely developed by age six. Some of the reasons parents agree to Ear Surgery include:
- Large ears
- Uneven ears
- Deformed ears
- Abnormally shaped ears
- Protruding ears
- Earlobe malposition
It is rare for a child to have little or no teasing from classmates and peers over the years, from a young age. Because a child’s ears are developed by the age of six, it is the cartilage, that gives the ears their shape and manipulation of this cartilage allows Dr. Edward Kole to reshape the ears to a more pleasing shape. Although, if a patient is in overall good health, there is no age limit for an otoplasty. Even adults have otoplasty surgery when the correction was not performed at a younger age.
Consultation for Child and Teen Ear Surgery
Dr. Edward Kole has extensive experience working with a wide variety of patients with different cosmetic requests. Each patient has a different medical history, envisions a different final outcome and heals at their own rate. In your consultation, discussion about what each patient would like to change about their ears and the surrounding area is discussed in great detail. Information about your family and personal medical history and specific medical conditions that the child or teen may have been currently or previously diagnosed with and at what specific time in their lives. Safety and comfort of all patients are our first and foremost priority. Details of the ear surgery will be discussed and all questions will be answered to your level of satisfaction. It will be most important that Dr. Edward Kole be informed of the following:
- Current medications
- Thyroid conditions
- Autoimmune diseases
- Previous surgeries or trauma
- Medication allergies
- Any additional allergies
Surgical Procedure for Child and Teen Ear Surgery
For protruding ears, skin and cartilage are sculpted and re-shaped, in order to adjust the placement of the supportive structure of the cartilage of the ear. The ears are then manipulated and the cartilage is weakened to allow the ear to be placed closer to the head to minimize protrusion. For some patients, only a few sutures in the cartilage are necessary to hold the weaker cartilage in place while it heals. In other patients permanent sutures are placed to reconstruct the upper part of the “Y” fold of the upper ear. Incisions are placed in the natural crease behind the ear, where the ear and scalp meet. This will help camouflage the scar as it fades over time.
Recovery from Child and Teen Ear Surgery
While you are in recovery, after surgery, there will be soft dressings on the ears. They will remain there for several days. Children and teens will return to the office one week after surgery. Younger patients may have dissolvable sutures that don’t need to be removed but adults will have removable sutures. You will be advised to wear a stretchy headband over your ears for one to two weeks after surgery at night to protect your ears and prevent any accidental trauma while you sleep. Otoplasty results are quite natural looking, effective and remain for a lifetime.
Please call the Kole Plastic Surgery Center at 215-315-7655 to schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Edward Kole. Our office and Licensed Ambulatory Surgical Center is conveniently located at: 1122 Street Rd STE 100, Southampton, PA 18966.
