Otoplasty is a fancy term for ear reshaping, so patients who desire otoplasty have some external abnormality with their ears that they're not satisfied with.
The most common indication for an otoplasty is a patient who has something called prominosha. Prominosha is the medical term for ears that are prominent. Their ears are actually of normal size, however, the ear angle that's produced from the ear and the scalp is too large, so the ears are more prominent or they actually stick out.
Procedures are performed most commonly at our joint commission-accredited facility. They're done under a MAC or sedation anesthesia. And the typical duration of this procedure is roughly between an hour and a half, and two hours.
Patients who have otoplasty procedures are generally bandaged for one to two days. They are expected to perform all of their normal activity, with the exception of strenuous, physical activity such as exercising or heavy lifting for approximately 10 days to 2 weeks.
The results of an otoplasty can truly be life-changing. We’ve seen patients who were once very insecure about their ears, some of whom had never worn their hair up because of that insecurity. Now, they feel confident enough to show off their ears, so it can really be emotionally and extremely impactful for our satisfied patients.
One key takeaway from my experience performing thousands of otoplasties is that it's never too late to consider the procedure. Each patient requires a personalized treatment plan that takes their unique anatomy into account to produce the most optimal outcome.
