Ear surgery
Otoplasty surgery aims to correct protruding ears. It can be performed on one or on both sides.
The surgery can be performed from the age of 7, as soon as the child expresses their desire to do so. Otoplasty in children is covered by health insurance.
It is considered as a purely aesthetic procedure in adults and it is not covered by insurance.
Before the procedure
Please allow yourself a professional unavailability period of 2 to 8 days after surgery.
The procedure
It lasts from 1 to 2 hours and is performed under local or general anesthesia.
It is recommended to opt for an otoplasty under general anaesthesia or assisted local anaesthetic (with intravenous sedation), as during the procedure all the noises are amplified due to bone conduction transmission, which is quite unpleasant and can be alarming.
The scars are situated on the back side of the ear, where glasses go. They are completely hidden.
Different steps may be carried out depending on the structure of the ear:
- an outward fold, after reshaping the cartilage with the Stengström techniques in case of defective antihelix folding(the tops of the ears are prominent)
- a suture with burial of the bowl of the ear, in cases of valgus deformity (protruding ear)
- a resection of the concha, in cases of concha hypertrophy (overly large ears)
These techniques can be combined in order to obtain an optimal result.
The most common deformation is an improperly folded antihelix (observed in 80% of protruding ears) and in this case can be treated using a simplified procedure, the insertion of an Earfold implant.
After the procedure
A « helmet dressing » maintains the ears in the right position during the 24 hours following surgery.
The pain varies and is usually easily treated with just analgesics.
A shampoo will be done as soon as this garment is removed.
Stitches are dissolvable and no dressing will be required. However, it is essential to wear a band on the ear every night for 2 months in order to avoid traumas.
Children are given a certificate of incapacity for sport for 2 months. It is essential to avoid combat sports (judo, karate…) and ball sports for 2 months
The treated ears will look inflated and reddish due to edema. It will disappear within 2 months following surgery. The sensitivity of the ears may be reduced or disappear after the surgery and will come back to normal after a few months. It is normal to feel an impression of rigidity in the ears.
Glasses can be worn again after a few days. The final result will be appear somewhere between 2 to 4 months after surgery.
