Otoplasty in Newport Beach

What is an Otoplasty?

Otoplasty is a procedure for setting back, pinning, or reducing large/prominent ears. Prominent ears can be the result of several factors. A common reason for prominent ears is a poorly developed or complete lack of antihelical fold, which is the fold just inside the rim of the ear. There may also be conchal hypertrophy, which is an enlargement of the bowl of the ear. There may also be a combination of both conchal hypertrophy and a poorly developed antihelical fold.

Otoplasty Video

Who is a Good Candidate for an Otoplasty?

Patients who are good candidates for otoplasty are in good health and are troubled by the appearance of their prominent ears.

Are there Age Limits for the Surgery?

Otoplasty may be performed on patients as young as age four and at any time after age four. Typically most patients present to us at age 6-8 for the procedure. Performing the otoplasty helps to prevent psychosocial issues such as teasing related to the appearance of the prominent ears.

Where is the Procedure Performed?

We utilize a fully accredited (JCAHO level accreditation) outpatient surgical center that has significant experience in the treatment of pediatric patients. We utilize only board-certified anesthesiologists who are skilled in the treatment of pediatric patients.

What Type of Anesthesia is Used to Perform an Otoplasty?

In the vast majority of cases, the otoplasty procedure is performed using general anesthesia that is supplemented with local anesthesia. In rare cases, the procedure could be performed using local anesthesia with sedation, but this would be limited to adults or very mature adolescents.

How is Otoplasty Performed?

The procedure begins by making marks on the rim of the ear on both sides and then measuring the distance of protrusion of the ear from the skull. This is done in an effort to produce a result that is as symmetrical as possible.

We then remove a small strip of skin from the back of the ear. This excision is oriented such that when the incision is closed the scar does not lay in the crease behind the ear, but is actually up on the back of the ear. In this way, glasses will not put pressure directly onto the scar.

The skin on the back of the ear is then separated from the cartilage of the ear. If the antihelical fold is not well developed, we then come to the front of the ear underneath the skin and use some special files to weaken the cartilage on the front of the ear. We then use some permanent sutures to create and maintain the fold. If the bowl of the ear (concha) is overdeveloped, we then plan for an excision of a small piece of the cartilage and the remaining cartilage is then sutured back together. Additional sutures may be used to suture the concha to the skull to reduce any further protrusion (concha-mastoid sutures). The skin is then sutured together and a well-padded head wrap is applied.

How Long Does it take to Perform an Otoplasty?

If a single ear is treated the procedure typically takes 1 ½ hour to perform. If both ears are treated it typically takes 2 ½ hours to perform.

Is an Otoplasty Procedure Painful?

When you wake up from surgery there should be no pain in the ears because a long-acting local anesthetic is used for the procedure. When you get home you should eat a small meal and take some pain medication so that it begins to be effective as the local anesthesia wears off. You may experience some mild throbbing in the ears that is easily managed with oral pain medication. In our experience, most of our patients do not take pain medication after about 2-3 days.

Otoplasty Recovery Steps

You will be given prescriptions for pain medication and a short course of antibiotics following the procedure. The antibiotics should be taken until they are completed and the pain medication is taken as needed. The headwrap should be left in place and will be removed by Dr. Sundine a week after the surgery is completed. You should sleep with some pillows behind your back to keep your head elevated. This will help with any swelling. You may shower but you should only shower from the neck down to keep the head wrap dry. You may wash your face with a washcloth. When the head wrap is removed you will notice that there still may be a small amount of bruising and swelling present. You may wash your hair after the head wrap is removed. The wound care is very simple and involves gently rubbing a Q-tip soaked in hydrogen peroxide over the suture line and stitches and then applying bacitracin ointment with another Q-tip. This should be done twice daily until the sutures have fallen out. No sutures need to be removed. You should wear a terry-cloth headband (similar to the type that tennis players use) essentially at all times following the procedure for a month. The purpose of the headband is to keep the ears from accidentally being pulled forward and possibly having a recurrence of the prominent ears.

What are the Potential Complications?

Potential complications include bleeding with the development of a hematoma (collection of blood) under the skin, infection, scarring, recurrence, or asymmetry of the ears. The chances of recurrence of the surgery are minimized by following carefully the postoperative instructions outlined above. Ears are naturally asymmetrical but we go to great lengths by measuring the protrusion of the ears intraoperatively to make the ears as symmetrical as possible.

Schedule Your Consultation

Dr. Michael J. Sundine has more than 23 years of experience performing facial plastic and reconstructive procedures for patients who wish to enhance their appearance and self-confidence. In addition to treating ear surgery patients, he has helped many rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, and facelift Orange County patients look and feel their best. To schedule your consultation with Dr. Sundine, please contact us today!