Hard Facts - Ear Surgery/ Pinnaplasty

Ear surgery, also known as octoplasty and pinnaplasty reduces the size or prominence of the ears (Credit: Vanessa)

Laurie, a 15-year-old boy had prominent cabbage ears. He was called all sorts of names, like ‘Big Ears’, Elephant Ears’, and the likes. His mother decided that ear surgery would do him some good. Ear surgery, also known as octoplasty and pinnaplasty reduces the size or prominence of the ears.

The operation is done under general anesthetic for children, though; some adults may prefer local anesthetic. The surgeon makes an incision just behind the ear in the natural fold where the ear meets the head. The cartilage and skin are then removed from the ear to achieve the right effect. Some of the cartilage may be pinned back with stitches. Finally, the surgeon stitches up the initial incision and then bandages the ears to protect them.

You’ll need to take around 10 days off from work and will have to wear a head bandage for 7-10 days to support the ears in their new position. The area will feel tender and swollen for a week after the ear surgery and while the stitches are healing, you may feel that your ears are tight. The results of ear surgery are permanent, though there may be some forward movement of the ears because of the elasticity of the cartilage.

The complications that can happen are infection, bleeding under the skin, reaction to the anesthetic, numbness and the risk of ending up with asymmetrical ears. There could be formation of excess scar tissue, which could look odd.

It’s better to give a good thought to whether you really want ear surgery because most people’s ears are not perfect. It’s also important to note that as far as ear surgery is concerned, the younger you are, the better, because the cartilage of a child is softer and easier to mould. In fact, most patients are aged between the age groups of five to 14.