Ear and Earlobe Correction
About
Ears which stick out make you self-conscious and attract teasing. Girls won’t wear their hair up and prominent ears show on men with short hair or when it recedes with age. Correction of prominent ears involves reshaping the main fold of the cartilage and removing excess skin at the back leaving an invisible scar line in the crease. A dressing is worn for one week. Bruising settles after two weeks. The operation can be done using local anaesthetic or under a general anaesthetic. Earlobe reduction can happen as part of this procedure or on it’s own if that’s the only concern.
Assessment
Whilst it might be obvious that the ears stick out I make measurements of the length of each ear and the amount each one protrudes outwards. Usually there’s some asymmetry. I then take photos and together we identify the specific features which can be improved. I manipulate the shape of different parts of the ear and you see in a mirror what the correction will look like. Sometimes the ears are also generally too big and need reducing in size. The upper part might fold downwards and need lifting. The ear lobe can also stick out and sometimes the ear lobe itself is too big.
Operation
This can be done either using local anaesthetic or under general anaesthetic. An incision is made in the crease behind the ear. The cartilage which creates the ear shape is separated from the skin. The shape of the cartilage can be changed in several ways. The main fold is adjusted to make the ear sit back with less prominence. The upper part can be reduced to make the ear smaller. The lower part of the cartilage can also be trimmed if it sticks out. The skin can then be tightened behind the ear at the top to make it stand upright and below to pull the earlobe back. These are subtle changes which produce distinct improvements in appearance.
The new cartilage shape is held in position with dissolving stiches and the skin of the ear is redraped back over it. The incision line behind the ear, where excess skin has been removed, is then closed. A dressing of cotton wool is moulded to the new shape to hold it in position. Over this there’s a cotton wool pad and head bandage which stays in place for a week.
Correction of earlobe size involves taking part of it away but leaving an invisible scar. This scar is behind the earlobe in the crease and at the front following the irregular contour of the cartilage so that it doesn’t show.
Recovery
The head bandage is removed a week after surgery. The ear position and shape will be clear but any bruising or redness will take a couple of weeks to settle. A softer head dressing is needed at night for a few weeks for comfort and to stop accidentally catching your ears while sleeping.
Gallery
See photographs of typical results for this procedure
