Ear Surgery

Otoplasty

It is a surgery designed to reduce the size of the ears or to bring them closer to the head when these are excessively separate. Ideally the surgery should be performed when the patient reaches 5 years of age and before his school begins and can be ridiculed by this defect. To this age the patient has almost 90% of the definitive ear size. It is a surgery that can also be carried out in mature age and doesn't have a lot of risk associated to the procedure.

Pre-Surgical Evaluation

The Plastic Surgeon will examine the patient and will make him notice the opposing defects and the surest form of correcting them. The patient should remember that there can be characteristics that cannot be corrected by the surgery among the two auricular pavilions and symmetry is quite unlikely that can be achieved perfectly.

The patient should inform illneses suffered, if they take drugs that predispose bleeding, as the corticoesteroids, antiinflamatory drugs, aspirin and its derivates, vitamin E,etc.

One will be able to choose the type of anesthesia according to the patient's age. When they are very small and until almost the 14th year, general anesthesia is recommended. For patients older than 14 yearslocal anesthesia plus sedation can be used. In mature patients local anesthesia is used.

Area manipulated by the procedure

The Surgeon will request the necessary exams for the pre-anesthetic evaluation.

Surgical Procedure

Most of the procedures are carried out in ambulatory form and occasionally a night of hospitalization is recommended, mostly in young patients that have been treated with general anesthesia.

Many surgical techniques exist to perform an otoplasty, most of which include a small incision in the back part of the ear where the Surgeon corrects the cartilage defects and makes the structural corrections. Some leave permanent stitches that help to maintain this correction and in other occasions some cartilage fragment is removed to give a more natural form. When concluding the procedure the patient it will leave with a bandage that will cover the surgical area of one or of the two ears, if they have been both operated, which will help the wound to heal.

Post-Surgical Procedure

The patient will be able to go home the same day, in most of the cases; if pain is presented it should be controlled with the medication recommended by the Surgeon. It can also be aided by placing local cold above the bandage. To the fourth day the bandage will be removed and replaced by a smaller bandage. This garment is useful for the following days,it can be removed, mainly in hours of the night. The sutures are retired the seventh day. The normal activities can be renewed the fourth day. Contact games should be avoided during the first three weeks, and the patient should avoid the direct exhibition in sunlight two months after the surgery.

Time needed to remain in Cali.

4 days.

Contact Dr. Bernardo Camacho right now to get more information!

Before-and-after surgery photos

Contact Dr. Bernardo Camacho for more information!