Kids can be unkind to one another, especially if a child has a glaring physical issue, such as misshapen or overly prominent ears. While the condition poses no physical threat, it can erode a child’s confidence, and you want to do everything in your power to give them a happy start to life.
Our goal is the same here at the Nikolov Center for Plastic Surgery, which is why we offer ear surgery to both kids and adults. Under the experienced and expert hand of Dr. Nicholas Nikolov, we offer ear surgery, or otoplasty, to patients of all ages, giving them the ears they desire.
Here’s what you need to know about ear surgery.
Kids And Ear Surgery
Cosmetic concerns like misshapen or prominent ears make themselves known at a very early age. In most kids, their ears stop growing at about the age of four or five, which is a great time to remedy the structural issue. Of course, we can perform ear surgery at any time, but you can save your child from future teasing if we intervene early. We also advise that you don’t force the surgery onto your child, but take their cues to how important this issue is for them to determine whether otoplasty is appropriate.
We typically perform our ear surgery on an outpatient basis. We often use general anesthesia among our younger patients, which is why we also offer overnight stays for your peace of mind.
We generally perform the surgery itself in just a few hours, and your child will wake with bandages around their head, which they should keep in place for a few days to encourage healing and molding.
Once we check to make sure everything is progressing nicely, we remove the bulky bandages and replace them with a lighter dressing. Within a week of your child’s surgery, we remove any stitches we may have placed, or they dissolve on their own.
During this early recovery period, your child may feel some discomfort that’s easily remedied with medications.
If you follow our complete aftercare instructions, we should be able to remove any dressings within a week or two, but your child should still avoid strenuous activities for about a month. Playground activities or sports where there’s a threat to the surgical area should be avoided for several weeks.
Otoplasty Among Adults
If the shape of your ears was never addressed as a child, and you’d like to do so now, we offer ear surgery to adults, as well.
The surgery and recovery period aren’t much different from what we outlined above, though we may use local anesthesia if the correction isn’t too great.
Ear Surgery Results
As cosmetic surgeries go, ear surgery is relatively easy. That said, any surgery carries some risk, so we recommend ensuring that the patient is in good health before the procedure.
After the otoplasty, we encourage you to keep a watchful eye for any signs of infection and contact us with any questions you may have during your child’s or your recovery.
When everything goes smoothly, your child (or you) can resume full activity in a month with newly shaped and more aesthetically pleasing ears.
To learn more about otoplasty, contact our office in Beverly Hills, California, to set up a consultation.
